❝ Energy efficiency is a key part of the technical and operational performance. ❞
BNP Paribas has opened another data centre in the Nordic region. Located just outside Stockholm, the new data centre increases BNP Paribas CIB’s computing grid by 20%. With its new data centre, hosted by its long term-partner atNorth, a sustainable data centre provider in the Nordics, BNP Paribas is embracing technology to bring forth sustainable, circular and value-added client solutions.
Hear from BNP Paribas, atNorth, Stockholm Exergi, Dell Technologies and AMD experts about the energy-efficient technologies combined in this new data centre and its positive circular economy benefits for the City of Stockholm.
A data centre strategy focused on renewable and circular energy
In choosing to work with partners, BNP Paribas aims to mitigate the environmental impact of its new generation of data centres while leaving a positive footprint on the local economy:
- Reduced energy consumption by increasing the energy efficiency of both the servers and the microprocessors by deploying high-count Central Processing Units (CPUs);
- Choosing circular solutions: the solution proposed by atNorth and Stockholm Exergi captures the heat produced by the servers and transforms it into heating for up to 20,000 modern homes;
- Prioritising renewable energy sources: the data centres hosted by atNorth use hydro and wind energy to power their sustainable Nordic data centres.
“The environment and circular economic impact are key considerations for BNP Paribas when we select new partners and evaluate existing ones. In the evaluation of potential partners for this project, 40% of our decision was based on a range of pre-determined CSR criteria,” Marine Broussot, Global Lead Buyer Hardware & Software, BNP Paribas.
In line with BNP Paribas’ 2025 strategy, the Bank carefully selects its partners based on strict CSR criteria. These link to technical requirements of security, efficiency and performance, and contribute to the delivery of positive impact in the local communities where we operate. In choosing to work with atNorth and Stockholm Exergi, BNP Paribas contributes to the City of Stockholm’s strategy for a fossil-free and climate-positive Stockholm by 2040.
“We designed this data centre to capture the heat from the servers. In partnership with Stockholm Exergi, we manage to capture up to 85% of the electricity used in the data centre and pass it on as heat to the district heating system, which contributes to a circular economy.” Benedikt Gröndal, Chief Operating Officer, atNorth.
“In a cold climate and circular city, the heat produced by data centres has value,” Erik Rylander, Head of Stockholm Data Parks, Stockholm Exergi.
What is Direct Liquid Cooling?
Direct Liquid Cooling is an evolutionary step for data centre cooling. It uses the exceptional thermal capacity of liquid to absorb and remove heat created by new high-power processors. The heat load is removed from the servers via a warm water loop. By replacing (or supplementing) conventional air-cooling with higher-efficient liquid cooling, the process improves the overall operational efficiency of the data centre by at least 30%*.
*Source: BNP Paribas
The data centre integrates state-of-the-art, high-count CPUs in core banking processes, essential to offering smarter, more efficient and more precise computational capabilities for financial risk analysis, while reducing the Bank’s carbon footprint.
❝ The Nordic region is leading the way in the development of innovative solutions for a circular economy. The opening of this data center highlights the important collaboration that is taking place across sectors, as well as BNP Paribas strong business growth within Corporate and Institutional Banking. ❞
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