Digital Reef Signs Offtake Agreement with Oreasoc Agriculture to Support Rainforest Protection
Digital Reef and Oreasoc Agriculture Inc. have signed an offtake agreement designed to address the environmental footprint associated with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and data centres. The agreement, announced during Climate Week NYC, connects Digital Reef’s 3.3-gigawatt data centre development pipeline with environmental assets associated with more than 30 million hectares of South American Amazon rainforest.
The partnership is intended to create a mechanism through which data centre growth can support rainforest protection, restoration and sustainable economic development. Oreasoc works with local communities across the South American Amazon to protect biodiversity, develop sustainable economic opportunities and safeguard territories. Through the agreement, Digital Reef will purchase verified environmental assets generated through Oreasoc’s activities, helping direct climate-related investment toward the protection of high-integrity natural ecosystems.
The companies have also appointed Xange.com as Digital Reef’s digital measurement, reporting and verification (dMRV) technology partner. Xange.com will provide technology designed to monitor both data centre environmental performance and rainforest protection activities, creating a digital framework for tracking environmental impacts and the assets generated through conservation initiatives.
Addressing the Environmental Impact of AI Infrastructure
The rapid expansion of AI is creating significant demand for computing infrastructure. As companies and organisations deploy increasingly sophisticated AI systems, demand for data centre capacity, electricity and other resources is also increasing.
The International Energy Agency has projected that global electricity consumption from data centres could more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 terawatt-hours (TWh). This expected increase highlights the importance of improving energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impact associated with data centre development and operations.
Digital Reef and Oreasoc’s approach focuses on combining direct impact reduction with environmental mitigation. Energy efficiency, water conservation and improved resource management remain important components of reducing the environmental footprint of digital infrastructure. For environmental impacts that cannot yet be eliminated, the agreement provides a pathway for purchasing verified environmental assets connected to rainforest protection.
The South American Amazon represents one of the world’s largest natural carbon stores and plays an important role in climate regulation and biodiversity. Protecting rainforest ecosystems can also support communities whose livelihoods and territories are closely connected to these landscapes.
Through its partnership with Oreasoc, Digital Reef intends to connect the expansion of digital infrastructure with long-term investment in natural ecosystems and community-led conservation.
Digital Monitoring and Verification Technology
A key element of the agreement is the use of digital monitoring technology provided by Xange.com. The technology is intended to improve transparency by providing data on environmental performance across both digital infrastructure and protected rainforest.
Xange.com will use two technology platforms as part of the initiative.
Xange.ai is designed as a digital measurement, reporting and verification platform for data centres. It can monitor environmental performance from the design and construction stages through ongoing operations. The system records information related to energy consumption, water usage and emissions, helping operators understand resource use and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
The platform is intended to provide data centre developers and operators with greater visibility into their environmental performance. By capturing information at source, the technology can support efforts to reduce resource consumption and operating costs while improving environmental reporting.
Xange.com Polaris is focused on environmental data and long-term ecosystem monitoring. The platform captures satellite and ground-based information from protected rainforest areas to support verification of environmental assets generated through conservation programmes.
Combining these digital systems is intended to establish a transparent connection between the environmental performance of data centres and the conservation activities supported through environmental asset purchases.
Supporting Amazon Communities and Biodiversity
The agreement extends beyond carbon mitigation by linking environmental finance with biodiversity protection and sustainable economic development. Oreasoc works alongside local communities in the South American Amazon to protect rainforest ecosystems while supporting economic activities designed to provide sustainable livelihoods.
For communities located in rainforest regions, protecting forests can involve balancing environmental conservation with economic development and territorial security. By directing climate capital toward local conservation activities, the partnership aims to provide longer-term financial support for initiatives that protect natural ecosystems.
Héctor José Orea Pulido, founder of Oreasoc Agriculture Inc., said the urgency of protecting the Amazon is increasing as global temperatures continue to rise. He described long-term climate capital as essential for conservation at the scale required and said the growth of AI could help create demand for investment that supports rainforest protection.
According to Orea Pulido, the Digital Reef agreement is intended to direct part of the economic activity associated with AI growth toward protecting forests in the South American Amazon. The approach connects the needs of the technology sector with broader environmental and climate objectives.
Building a Sustainable Data Centre Model
Digital Reef founder Piers Slater said the rapid growth of AI and data centres is increasing demand for energy and land while bringing greater scrutiny of the sector’s environmental impact.
Data centre developers and operators face increasing expectations from investors, customers and regulators to measure their resource consumption and environmental performance. Digital Reef’s approach is based on the premise that AI infrastructure can continue to expand while incorporating measures to reduce and mitigate its environmental footprint.
The company believes the partnership can provide a framework for sustainable data centre deployment across multiple regions, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia. These markets are expected to play roles in meeting the growing demand for computing capacity generated by AI and digital services.
Slater said sustainable development of digital infrastructure requires consideration of environmental impacts alongside the construction and expansion of computing capacity. He added that technology companies can play a role in financing conservation and sustainable development while supporting continued digital growth.
Connecting Digital Infrastructure With Environmental Protection
The agreement reflects a broader effort within the technology industry to address the environmental consequences of expanding digital infrastructure. Data centres require substantial amounts of electricity and water, while their construction can also involve land use and other environmental impacts.
Measuring these impacts is an important first step toward reducing them. Digital monitoring technologies can provide operators with more detailed information about energy, water, emissions and other resources throughout the lifecycle of a facility.
At the same time, conservation programmes require reliable systems for monitoring environmental outcomes. Satellite imagery, ground-based information and digital verification can help provide evidence about the condition of protected ecosystems and the progress of long-term conservation initiatives.
Xange.com founder Esteban van Goor said sustainable computing is becoming increasingly important as digital technologies transform the IT sector. He said the collaboration with Digital Reef and Oreasoc is intended to provide data centres with a transparent approach to measuring and mitigating environmental impacts.
According to van Goor, Xange.ai captures information at the source across areas including energy, water, waste heat and food production, while Xange.com Polaris supports monitoring of long-term forestry programmes and progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
A Technology and Conservation Partnership
The Digital Reef, Oreasoc and Xange.com collaboration combines data centre monitoring, environmental asset purchasing and rainforest conservation within a single framework. Digital Reef’s planned data centre expansion creates demand for environmental mitigation, while Oreasoc’s conservation programmes provide environmental assets connected to rainforest protection and community activities.
Xange.com’s technology is intended to provide the digital monitoring infrastructure needed to track performance on both sides of the partnership.
As AI adoption continues to increase, the environmental footprint of the computing infrastructure supporting these technologies is expected to remain an important consideration for developers, operators and investors. Partnerships that combine resource efficiency with investment in natural ecosystems could become one component of broader strategies for addressing these impacts.
For Digital Reef and its partners, the agreement represents an effort to connect the growth of AI infrastructure with the protection of natural ecosystems. By linking data centre environmental performance with rainforest conservation and community-led development, the companies aim to establish a model in which digital growth can contribute to long-term environmental protection and sustainable economic opportunities.
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