12 Days of Data Centre Christmas: August 2024
Data centres provide the critical infrastructure needed to power the digital economy. From the Internet and smart devices, to cloud, AI and compute-intensive research applications, the digital infrastructure sector has become integral to every facet of life.
However, data centre energy consumption has continued to grow at a prolific rate. Driven by the power and computing demands of generative AI (Gen AI) and the accompanying growth of the hyperscale cloud.
A report from IDC found that global revenue for AI is expected to surpass US$300bn by 2026. Another study also predicts that AI technologies could consume as much electrical energy as the country of Ireland, equating to 29.3 terawatt-hours per year.
“In many respects, the digital infrastructure sector is now at a crossroads,” says Maurizio Frizziero, Cooling innovation and Strategy Director at Schneider-Electric.
“Legacy approaches to powering and cooling data centres can no longer provide the means for a sustainable future – something many of us have discussed for years. For us to meet the demands of a greener world and reduce the consumption of precious resources such as energy and water, innovation - especially where AI and high-density computing are concerned - is vital.”
80% of the world’s carbon emissions (CO2) are now linked to the production and consumption of energy and current fossil-based energy systems continue to present losses of around 60%.
Maurizio adds: “The fact is that without change – be that via data centre design and operations, or through new breakthroughs in power and cooling systems architectures – we cannot meet the demands of net zero.”
Telcos and Hyperscalers are Driving Digital Transformation
The submarine cable space is profound in capturing the different roles hyperscalers and telcos take. In this zone, Vincenzo Basile, Partner at Arthur D. Little, says telcos and hyperscalers have had a role reversal over time.
“In cloud services, telcos and hyperscalers complement and compete with each other, as both target large corporations and governments with their cloud services,” he explains. “In mature markets, telcos also act as channel partners to hyperscalers, along with offering associated services such as cloud migration and system integration.
“Hyperscalers (including content providers) were the largest customers of cables owned by telco consortiums, contributing nearly 80% of the traffic. However, they are increasingly becoming cable owners themselves, having invested in nearly 60 cables by 2024.”
Now, telcos are partnering with hyperscalers to extend these cables, monetise them and to leverage them for their own use. “Given the novelty of the solutions, telcos and hyperscalers have to work in tandem to realise the network successfully.”
“Telcos and hyperscalers are also re-imagining together the way telecom networks are built, as software functions in cloud-native environment,” Vincenzo explains. “Hyperscalers not only provide cloud hosting infrastructure, but also provide new functions and capabilities such as network automation.”
See also in August
Northern Data Sustainable Technologies and Global Expansion
Iceotope's Liquid Cooling & Edge Computing Efficiency
Top 10: Data Centre Consultants
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