The Data Centre Of The Future: Revitalized And Repurposed

The Data Centre Of The Future: Revitalized And Repurposed

Data centres are the hidden – yet humming – apparatus that underpins our modern society and fuels our global economy; economic benefits enabled by this asset class are forecast to reach as high as $6.3 trillion annually by 2027. As usage expands, and their AI power appetite grows ever stronger, the data centres of the future will morph and change to match demands. This blog shares key findings from our recently published Future of Data Centres (North America) report.

The data centre industry is currently experiencing a period of accelerated growth, driven by the:

• Digitization of processes – businesses are adopting software and digital tools to streamline operations and inform decision-making.
• Ever-growing creation and subsequent storage of data – 120 zettabytes of data are forecast to be created in 2024 alone, amounting to 330 million terabytes per day.
• Shift of on-premise workflows to the cloud – to advance cost-cutting objectives, and unlock scalability and flexibility, businesses are moving their digital infrastructure from self-owned enterprise facilities to hyperscaler-operated cloud options.
• Rise of artificial intelligence – AI-enabled workflows mandate large compute resources; the growing use of consumer products such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT is increasing data centre resource requirements.

These societal changes are driving the creation and upgrade of new and existing facilities, and placing greater strain on the finite power supply from which all asset types must draw. This is giving data centres bad press – accused of ‘taking power away’ from other assets, such as homes and hospitals. Additionally, owing to their extreme power demands, the environmental footprint of data centres is monumental – and is unlikely to decrease anytime soon, with challenges such as aging grid infrastructure preventing grid decarbonization. As a result, to meet self-imposed stringent energy and carbon reduction targets, data centre operators have invested in renewable energy and utilized mechanisms such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) en masse. This is a great starting step, but with rack power density increasing in the age of AI, and new cooling technologies essential to ensure optimal thermal environments, the road ahead is riddled with challenges and obstacles.

Considering these factors, drivers and consequences in unison allows us to visualize the data centre of the future: a morphed and revitalized asset, which will serve more than simply the server and IT equipment contained within. Facilities will be rich in energy production, storage and sharing technologies and will change in form to facilitate increasing rack densities and the introduction of liquid cooling.

For our full analysis, see Verdantix: Future of Data Centres (North America). If you are a qualifying corporate practitioner, be sure to sign up for free access through our Vantage platform.

We will be sharing key findings from this research in an upcoming webinar on Tuesday September 17^th – to register, please visit: The Future Of Data Centres: What Comes Next?

For further reading on PPAs – and how you and your organization might utilize one to achieve sustainability objectives – please see Verdantix Market Overview: Demystifying Corporate Purchase Power Agreements.

For further reading on applications of artificial intelligence across our built environment, please see Verdantix Market Insight: New And Emerging Applications Of AI In The Built Environment.