Server utilization studies (Uptime Institute, NRDC, LBNL, Anthesis/Stanford)

A composite Source covering the multi-study evidence base for institutional server idle capacity:

• Uptime Institute. Global Data Center Survey 2023, 2024, 2025 — 40% of operators measured server utilization in 2023; 41% tracked it as a sustainability metric in 2024.
• Taylor, J. & Koomey, J. "Zombie/Comatose Servers Redux." Anthesis Group / Stanford University, 2015 with 2017 update — 30% of enterprise servers comatose in 2015; 25% of physical servers and ~30% of VMs comatose in 2017.
• Whitney, J. & Delforge, P. "Data Center Efficiency Assessment." NRDC Issue Paper IP:14-08-A, August 2014 — typical on-premises enterprise server runs at 12-18% of capacity.
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report, December 2024 — industry-wide modeling assumes 70% average server utilization with substantial uncertainty, dominated by hyperscale.

Type: Industry survey + technical assessment + national-laboratory study. Use in graph: Establishes the empirical base for the "more than half of institutional server capacity sits idle" claim that grounds C-0006.

Original whitepaper reference: [6]