FEATURE
Ehab Kanary , Vice President of Enterprise for EMEA , CommScope
has emphasised the central importance of the modern data centre .
Networks are now scrambling to determine how best to support huge increases in Edge-based traffic volume as well as the demand for single-digital latency performance – without torpedoing the investment in existing data centres . But what about the data centres ? What role will they play ?
The future business case for hyperscale and cloud-scale data centres lies in their massive processing and storage capacity . As activity heats up on the Edge , the data centre ’ s power will be needed to create the algorithms that enable the data to be processed . In an IoT-empowered world , the importance of Augmented Intelligence ( AI ) and Machine Learning ( ML ) cannot be understated . Neither can the role of the data centre in making it happen .
Taking a holistic approach to continual high-speed migration
The continual journey to higher speeds in the data centre is a step-process ; as applications and services evolve , storage and server speeds must also increase . Adopting a patterned approach to handle the repeated periodic upgrades can help reduce the time and cost needed to plan and implement the changes . We recommend a holistic approach in which switches , optics and fibre cabling operate as a single coordinated transmission path . Ultimately , how all these components work together will dictate the network ’ s ability to reliably and efficiently support new and future applications . Today ’ s challenge is 400G ; tomorrow , it will be 800G and 1.6T . The fundamental requirement for high-quality fibre infrastructure remains constant , even as network technologies continue to change .
Growth of data centres in the Middle East
Data centres in the Middle East are gaining momentum . The construction of traditional brick-and-mortar facilities is also growing along with the rising development of modular facilities . Countries like the UAE , Bahrain , Qatar , Turkey , Jordan and Saudi Arabia are attracting significant investments in recent years , according to the June 23 study by ResearchAndMarkets . com .
Whether it ’ s a hyperscale data centre , a player focused on the Edge , or an infrastructure provider , in the nextgeneration network there will be plenty of room – and work – for everyone . The slices are not getting smaller ; the pie will only become larger . ◊
46 Issue 20 www . intelligentdatacentres . com