Members Content

Data Centers: The Questions are Real. We Need to Develop the Right Answers

Tue, 8 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

In an earlier piece, I wrote about data centers as a convergence point of AI, Energy, Innovation, Sustainability, Regulation, and Activism. Since that piece was published just a few weeks ago, a lot has happened: Markets getting roiled by tariffs, hyperscaler announcements about “pullbacks” in data center investments, and the emergence of serious questions about the real business-value of AI. Such changes in tone and rhetoric can be shocking to many but are in fact de rigeur in the entire history of technology. The questions and concerns are real- and should be taken seriously- but reactive pendulum swings are typically the result of spleen-venting or short-term myopia.

Headlines rarely suggest the whole story. We need details not only to understand what is going on but also to make informed decisions about resource and investment strategies going forward. Just a few months ago, a group of large technology companies (Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, to name a few) made public announcements of huge investments in Data Centers- to power the world of AI. The pledges of investment amounted to over $500 Billion in aggregate. Though there was some speculation that these pledges were made around the inauguration to offer buoyancy to the new administration, there were several re-iterations made thereafter including Satya Nadella famously saying that he was “Good for his $80 Billion.”

Headlines now talk of pullback from investments, broken leases, and reports of lower-than-expected adoption of AI in the enterprise- all signs that bode ill for data center investment.

Another perspective is that these signs suggest that gigantism might not be the way to go with data centers, that in fact these companies are looking at different models and more innovative architectures. PollyAnna-ish perhaps but a point of view that carries the day for many.

In fact, we simply do not know which interpretation is correct. It is yet too early. I share a lot of AI skepticism and, further, share concerns about the energy consumption (and other environmental demerits) of data centers, but also realize that we are in large part locked-in to a heavy data and energy consumption pattern that doesn’t seem to abate even with knowledge of the effects. So skepticism needs to be challenged into better solutions.

As such, we need to usher in a new energy stack and continue to innovate in data centers. Can they be smaller? Can they be more energy efficient? Can their owners “play by the rules,” and pay their fair share? Can we find an accommodation between innovation and speed on the one hand and regulation, safety, and sustainability on the other?

The questions are real. The answers are the result of collective intelligence and action.

That is why I am going to Data Center World. To seek help in finding those answers.

Video On-Demand - KEYNOTE: Power is All You Need

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

AI is moving faster than any of us could have imagined. Its demand for compute and datacenters is wildly unprecedented, far outpacing previous “mega” trends, and – most likely - every current model is underestimating what is ahead.

AI’s transformational potential across every aspect of society is fundamentally governed by only one thing: power. Where is it? Where can it be built? On what timeframe? Harnessing what resources? At what cost? The solutions are going to be in the form of "yes, and" and "all of the above."

Speaker

Ali Fenn
President
Lancium

VIEW RECORDING

VIEW PRESENTATION

Video KEYNOTE: The Role of Nuclear Technology in the Clean Energy Revolution

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Watch this groundbreaking keynote address by Dr. Rian Bahran, the esteemed Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, at the forefront of our nation's energy transformation. Dr. Bahran brings a wealth of expertise and insight into the evolving landscape of nuclear energy, policy, and technological innovation.

In his keynote, titled "Energizing Tomorrow: The Role of Nuclear Technology in the Clean Energy Revolution," Dr. Bahran will explore the dynamic changes in nuclear energy usage and policy that are reshaping our world. He will delve into the critical role of nuclear technologies in bolstering energy grids, providing a stable and efficient power source that complements intermittent renewables like solar and wind.

A highlight of his talk will be the intersection of nuclear energy with digital infrastructure.

Dr. Bahran will discuss how data centers and IT ecosystems, the backbone of our digital era, stand to gain from the reliability and energy density offered by nuclear power. This segment promises to be an eye-opener for tech industry professionals and energy experts alike.

Furthermore, he will shed light on emerging programs and government initiatives supporting Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and advanced nuclear systems. These programs are at the cutting edge of nuclear technology, offering safer, more flexible, and cost-effective solutions that align with our modern energy needs.

Speaker

Rian Bahran, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

VIEW RECORDING

VIEW PRESENTATION