Meta: Building Sustainable Data Centres With Mass Timber

The construction of data centres typically depends on carbon and steel, which are carbon-intensive materials.

Meta is working on new ways to build data centres, reimagining what sustainable infrastructure can be.

It is pioneering two materials that could be game-changers in sustainable construction: mass timber and low-carbon concrete.

Meta’s new sustainable data centre

In 2024, Meta announced the beginning of construction on a data centre in Aiken County, South Carolina, US.

This is Meta’s 22nd data centre in the US and the 26th in the world, with a 715,000 square foot campus.

The Aiken Data Centre will represent an investment of more than US$800m and support approximately 100 jobs.

In an effort to embed sustainability into the construction of its data centres, Meta has chosen to build the Aiken Data Centre with wood, rather than the traditional concrete or steel.

Devon Lake, Head of Net Zero Strategy at Meta, says: “When people think about data centres, they think servers and energy demand.

“They rarely think about the buildings themselves and the embodied carbon locked into every ton of steel and concrete poured during construction.

“Building the infrastructure for AI doesn’t have to mean building the same way we always have.”

Mass timber for data centres

Meta is demonstrating that wood can be used in industrial construction, with mass timber products able to compete with traditional materials on strength while bringing environmental benefits.

Mass timber refers to wood-based products such as cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated beams engineered for industrial applications.

Meta has created pilot projects for the mass timber, aiming to demonstrate the potential of the material.

It is incorporating mass timber into administrative buildings at data centre campuses in South Carolina, Wyoming and Alabama, achieving approximately 41% reduced embodied carbon compared to conventional construction materials.

The lightweight nature of mass timber can reduce foundation concrete requirements by up to 50%, which creates a positive environmental impact.

Thanks to its density and char layer formation, mass timber has exceptional fire resistance, while its ratio of strength to weight can exceed that of steel.

Blair Swedeen, Global Head of Net Zero and Sustainability at Meta, says: “Sustainably sourced mass timber is a great fit for us because it has much lower embodied carbon than traditional materials like steel or concrete. Using mass timber helps us build in a way that’s better for the environment.

“We’re continuing to actively explore mass timber not only in our administrative buildings but also in warehouses and critical data halls, the spaces that house servers.

“Mass timber’s strength, durability and fire resistance makes it a promising candidate for broader applications within data centre infrastructure and we continue to evaluate these opportunities.”

Sustainability, procurement and supply chain leaders won’t want to miss Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit, taking place at Navy Pier, Chicago, on 21–22 April. 

Co-located with Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, the event unites senior decision-makers at a time when supply chains, sustainability and business performance are more interdependent than ever.

Secure your place now for The US Summit – group booking discounts available.

Sustainable concrete

Although mass timber can be used as an alternative to steel in data centre construction, concrete is still a fundamental part of the building process.

Cement production accounts for approximately 8% of global emissions, providing an opportunity to cut down on its carbon footprint.

By substituting traditional cement with proven alternatives such as fly ash, companies can reduce carbon intensity by up to 20% below regional baselines.

One method to cut emissions is to eliminate concrete requirements in electric and telecom duct banks and to optimise designs with gravel fill and reduced slab thickness, which can help drop carbon footprints by more than 30% compared to traditional designs.

A Meta AI model that uses adaptive experimentation toolboxes is optimising concrete mixtures for strength, cure time and sustainability.

This system can help achieve 70% emissions reductions while maintaining all necessary performance characteristics.