Expert Insights: Data Centers, Decarbonization & Digital Growth, in Conversation with Daniel Socha, WSP
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Daniel Socha
Global Sustainability and ESG Services Lead, WSP
2025 Roundtable Chair on Data Centers: Navigating the Sustainability Challenges of Data Center Growth
As digital infrastructure rapidly expands to meet growing global demand, sustainability has become a defining challenge—and opportunity—for data center developers. Ahead of the Sustainability Delivery Summit taking place in Chicago this June, we spoke with Daniel Socha, Global Sustainability and ESG Services Lead at WSP, to explore the environmental pressures facing the sector and what a truly sustainable path forward could look like.
Daniel will be leading a roundtable discussion at the summit titled “Data Centers: Navigating the Sustainability Challenges of Data Center Growth”. With his deep expertise supporting large-scale infrastructure projects from end-to-end, he brings a unique perspective to the complex intersection of digital transformation and climate responsibility.
In this exclusive interview, Daniel unpacks the critical sustainability questions emerging from the data center boom—ranging from access to clean energy and embodied carbon, to supply chain pressures and community impact. He also shares how WSP is helping clients embrace integrated, lifecycle-focused approaches to decarbonisation, and why sustainability must be seen not as a checklist, but as a strategic framework guiding every stage of development.
Below is a summary of our conversation with Daniel Socha.
Let’s start with the big picture: what are the most pressing carbon and energy supply challenges facing the sector?
At the top of the list is access to power. Without it, growth is impossible. But many data centre developers have aggressive decarbonisation targets, so it’s about making sure this power is clean.
This is leading some developers to consider emerging technologies like small modular nuclear reactors. We’re seeing a shift from a narrow focus on renewables to broader clean energy strategies.
And where the centers are built must play a role, too?
Location is a key factor not just in terms of available energy infrastructure, but also in how new developments intersect with local regulations and community expectations.
Site selection is about balancing operational needs with long-term sustainability and stakeholder impact.
You also mentioned embodied carbon, something often overlooked in the data center conversation. Can you explain that?
Embodied carbon refers to the emissions associated with constructing and outfitting the facility, steel, cement, and all the IT components involved. It’s not just about emissions from operations, but from the entire lifecycle of the asset.
At WSP, we’re working closely with clients to better measure and manage these emissions, which are becoming an increasingly important part of the sustainability equation.
What about the supply chain challenges?
Speed to market is another major issue. As demand for data centers surges, especially due to AI, developers are facing delays and competition for sustainable construction materials and components.
This can complicate procurement and project timelines, especially when sustainability criteria are added into the mix.
WSP supports infrastructure projects from end-to-end. What does a sustainable journey from concept to operation look like for a data center?
It starts with stakeholder engagement. We help clients consider not just environmental performance, but social factors too.
That includes everything from low-carbon energy sourcing and sustainable materials to community consultation and biodiversity. Sustainability is multi-dimensional, it’s not just a checklist, but a framework that must inform every stage of development.
Join the conversation around Data Centres and take part in Daniel Socha’s roundtable Data Centers: Navigating the Sustainability Challenges of Data Center Growth at the Sustainability Delivery Summit, 9-11 June 2025 in Chicago.