Key takeaways
- Know-how giants are “mining” uncommon earth components and treasured metals from outdated pc {hardware} and recovered electronics to fulfill waste discount targets.
- Apple and Google are additionally recovering treasured metals and uncommon earth components.
- The corporate recycled or reused nearly 91 p.c of its decommissioned servers and different information heart {hardware} in 2024.
Microsoft is increasing digital waste assortment from its information facilities with a brand new initiative to recuperate uncommon earth components and treasured metals from onerous drives with out utilizing acids.
This system introduced April 17 is a collaboration between drive maker Western Digital together with Crucial Supplies Recycling and PedalPoint Recycling. It goals to scale U.S. manufacturing of uncommon earth components at a time when the world’s largest provider, China, has threatened to chop off exports amid an escalating international commerce battle.
Thus far, the pilot has processed 50,000 kilos of out of date drives collected at Microsoft information facilities, extracting uncommon earth components together with neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium — essential parts for magnets utilized in electrical autos and wind generators. The initiative has additionally recovered gold, copper, aluminum and metal.
A Microsoft govt declined to reveal how a lot of those supplies has been recovered, what proportion of end-of-life onerous drives was included below this system or whether or not the corporate obtained a monetary profit by collaborating.
“That is the suitable factor to do,” mentioned Rani Borkar, company vice chairman of Azure {hardware} and methods at Microsoft, pointing to the corporate’s 2030 zero waste purpose.
Rising demand
Microsoft, like its major rivals in cloud computing Google and Amazon, is increasing its information heart footprint at a livid tempo. Onerous drives will account for about 80 p.c of the information storage capability at hyperscale and cloud providers services by means of 2028, in line with forecasts by researcher IDC. This know-how relies upon closely on uncommon earth components and treasured metals, as do many methods enabling the clear vitality transition.
The supplies already recovered from a number of Microsoft information facilities are being fed again into the U.S. provide chain, which accounts for simply 15 p.c of uncommon earth manufacturing. Different giant know-how firms, together with Apple and Google, are additionally mining uncommon earths and different treasured metals from outdated electronics and pc {hardware}.
Nobody is doing this at scale. The present U.S. recycling charge for uncommon earths is lower than 10 p.c, in line with Western Digital.
The undertaking highlighted by Microsoft makes use of a multi-step course of pioneered by Crucial Supplies Recycling:
- Out of date or outdated drives are shredded utilizing conventional processes.
- That materials is sorted and processed by PedalPoint, and the magnets and metal are despatched to Crucial Supplies for sorting.
- Uncommon earth oxides are extracted utilizing a chemical recycling course of that doesn’t include acids.
“This undertaking isn’t only a milestone, it’s a blueprint for large-scale, home recycling of important metals and supplies that can drive sustainable progress for years to come back,” mentioned Jackie Jung, vice chairman of world operations technique and company sustainability at Western Digital.
Demand for uncommon earth metals is rising at 9 p.c yearly, and the market is projected to succeed in $16.3 billion by 2030.
Microsoft’s zero-waste agenda
The uncommon earths restoration effort is only one element of Microsoft’s technique to hold pc {hardware} out of landfills. It recycled or reused near 91 p.c of the pc servers and different applied sciences that run its Azure cloud providers in 2024, assembly its 2025 goal and maintaining 3.2 million parts in circulation all through its information facilities.
A lot of that work is being delivered by Round Facilities, regional websites that deal with know-how that’s develop into out of date for Microsoft’s information heart functions. The common lifespan of pc servers is between 4 and 6 years, relying on the appliance.
Via this program, high-value parts corresponding to reminiscence or central processing models are eliminated and redeployed. Some methods are donated to native organizations corresponding to faculties or neighborhood teams.
Thus far, Microsoft manages six Round Facilities within the U.S., Eire, the Netherlands and Singapore. It’s planning three extra: in Australia, the U.S. and Wales.
