The Next Frontier of Circularity in Data Centers: Hardware

As AI drives unprecedented demand for computing power, how do you keep hardware from becoming the data center industry’s fastest-growing waste stream? What circular strategies are hyperscalers using to recover value from servers cycling through faster than ever?

The environmental conversation around data centers has focused on energy and water, but hardware is the next frontier. AI-driven refresh cycles are accelerating hardware turnover, while geopolitical pressure around critical minerals is changing the economics of domestic recovery. This session explores how hyperscalers are rethinking second-life applications, component harvesting, and remanufacturing, alongside how Right to Repair policy could enable or restrict what’s possible. You’ll hear what it takes to scale circular models in high-throughput environments and how strategies like internal redeployment and reverse logistics reduce embodied carbon and recover critical materials.