March 31, 2026 Kordz Government Submission Highlights Overlooked Role of Infrastructure Design in Reducing the Environmental Impact of Data Centres 

Kordz’ submission to an Australian state parliamentary inquiry outlines how optimised cabling in high-density racks can cut cooling-related electricity demand in data centres. 

March 31, 2026 – Kordz has contributed a submission to an Australian state parliamentary inquiry into the sustainability of data centre development, highlighting how physical infrastructure design within rack environments can influence cooling demand and overall energy efficiency. 

The inquiry is timely, as demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing accelerates, and data centre energy consumption is increasing rapidly. According to the International Energy Agency, data centres already account for approximately 1.5% of global electricity use, with demand expected to double by 2030. 

While much of the industry focus is currently placed on energy supply, cooling technologies and server performance, the recently-published submission from Kordz, highlights an often-overlooked factor: the design and management of physical infrastructure within high-density rack environments. 

A significant proportion of data centre energy consumption is driven by cooling systems required to dissipate heat from increasingly dense equipment. The submission outlines how cabling infrastructure – including cable density, routing, diameter and installation practices – can influence airflow pathways, thermal performance and cooling demand at rack level. 

In high-density environments, even small restrictions to airflow can increase fan speeds and cooling load. When replicated across thousands of racks, these incremental inefficiencies can contribute to materially higher energy consumption and operational costs. 

“Improving the environmental performance of data centres requires a holistic approach to optimisation across every layer of infrastructure,” said Kordz Managing Director, James Chen. “Individual design decisions at rack level may appear minor in isolation, but when applied across thousands of facilities globally, and over the multi-decade lifespan of these buildings, their cumulative impact becomes significant. From a connectivity engineering perspective, we consider such optimisation a worthwhile incremental step towards more efficient and environmentally sustainable operations at scale.” 

The submission also highlights the importance of lifecycle considerations, including material selection, durability and embodied carbon, in reducing the environmental impact of digital infrastructure over time. 

While prepared in an Australian policy context, the considerations outlined in the submission are relevant to data centre development globally, particularly as high-density computing environments continue to expand. 

The full submission is available here: kordz.com/submissions  

About Kordz 

Kordz is the connectivity brand for integrators, by integrators. A multi-award-winning global industry leader in professional-grade connectivity products, Kordz’ team of seasoned former integrators is on a mission to ‘Kordzify’ and optimise technology for professionals by designing, engineering and manufacturing products that deliver ease and profitability through a seamless installation experience with high performance results that today’s tech-savvy end-users expect. With a wide range of robust, fast and effective solutions backed by expert technical support, Kordz helps integrators around the world meet the evolving cabling requirements of a diverse range of residential and commercial environments. For more information about Kordz, please visit kordz.com and follow the company @kordzglobal on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.   

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