Speaking truth to power (for our data centers)

With the emergence of Cloud Computing and more recently AI-at-scale, data centers have come to the fore. They are at a convergence point of AI, energy, sustainability, regulation, investment, innovation, and even activism.  Whatever one’s view of the vast sprawl of computing power, the importance of data centers is undeniable. 

A quick tour of the landscape is interesting:

• There are over 10,000 data centers in the World.
• According to the IEA, we consume 445 exajoules of energy per year and will continue to grow until at least 2050.
• In the United States, data centers are slated to go from 3% of energy consumption to 10% by 2030.
• The hyperscaler companies have in total suggested that they’ll spend in excess of $500 Billion on data centers.
• Significant issues remain: energy, water, land acquisition, environmental concerns, cost, and need for innovation.

Against this background, it is important to continue to mainstream the data center discussion and to continue to spur innovation.

Treatises can be written from any of the angles mentioned.  From the perspective of energy, it is clear that with the exponential growth in electricity consumption, driven partially by AI and cryptocurrency- slated to be at a minimum 3.3% annually, that the data center conversation is paramount.  After all, data centers currently consume approximately 3% of US electricity, but that number is expected to triple over the next decade.

Houston, we have a problem.

We need innovations in data centers -- more efficient chips, better cooling apparatus, and so on. We also need a step-change in our energy stack, moving towards efficient energy sources like nuclear fission and the Holy Grail, nuclear fusion.

These are the discussions that we need to have as a community.  That is why Data Center World 2025 is a necessary stop on the circuit. 

I’m excited about my panel, but even more about the community, content, and commerce possibilities at the show.  See you there.