The LEED Leaders

citi-greenwall

The Citi Data Center in Frankfurt features a "green wall" featuring plants that are irrigated with recycled water.

This week Digital Realty Trust confirmed that it is the first company to have two data centers earn Platinum status, the highest rating possible under the LEED ( Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program for energy efficient buildings overseen by the US Green Building Council.

The announcement is the latest sign that data center builders are rapidly adapting to the requirements of the LEED standard,  which was originally developed for office buildings. The number of LEED-certified data centers has grown steadily over the past year, and numerous projects in the pipeline are targeting LEED certification.

But for the moment, the LEED Platinum level remains a fairly exclusive club. We've identified just seven of these facilities, which we profile in our illustrated guide to LEED Platinum data centers. UPDATED Jan. 26 to reflect VMware confirmation.