D A T A C E N T R E P R E D I C T I O N S
A key commitment made at this year ’ s conference was reported by Reuters . The governments of 118 countries have pledged to triple the world ’ s renewable energy capacity by 2030 , in a bid to reduce the use of fossil fuels in energy generation , thus drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions ( GHG ) associated .
This is a massive undertaking , but one that is achievable and one in which data centres , and other large energy users , can make a significant contribution .
In recent years , various trends have driven data centre designers and operators to develop their facilities to be more energy self-sufficient . This has sometimes been due to constrained energy supply , particularly in urban areas , and sometimes due to rising costs of connections . In fact , there is mounting evidence to suggest that planned developments that were viable just a couple of years ago are being reconsidered due to stubbornly high interest rates and attendant costs .
Demand side management
All of these drivers have meant that many data centre designers and operators are
moving more toward the capability of operating at a severely reduced demand side energy consumption rate , or being entirely self-sufficient for sustained periods . This can be achieved through various means , but sometimes it can be as simple as using a greener alternative to diesel in existing generators , such as hydrotreated vegetable oil ( HVO ), but extending to full microgrid operation .
A key characteristic of microgrids is that they can operate either independently of a wider , national grid , or collaboratively with it and other microgrids . When operating collaboratively under an electricity trading scheme often governed by smart contracts , data centres can leverage their critical power infrastructure to provide grid balancing services which are essential when high levels of variable renewable energy ( VER ) sources are employed .
If the world is to achieve the tripling of RES used in grids globally , then the speed of incorporation of such sources will be ramped up significantly towards 2030 . The digital management systems , such as DCIM , critical power infrastructure and the ability to function as a microgrid with energy flows in both directions , will allow data centre designers , owners and operators , to facilitate an accelerated transition to renewables , and particularly VERs , that will see those ambitions achieved .
AI impact
The other major trend that is foreseeable , if not fully predictable , is the impact of AI on business , consumers and the ICT industry as a whole . Data centres are already changing under the demands of AI and we at Schneider Electric have done a lot of work to understand those changes and provide insights as to how to optimise facilities . Our White Paper 110 entitled The AI Disruption : Challenges and Guidance for Data Center Design explains relevant attributes and trends of AI workloads , describing the resulting data centre challenges and provides guidance on addressing the challenges for each physical infrastructure category including power , cooling , racks and software management .
However , the impact of AI is far greater than just infrastructure or management . There has been a growing realisation that moving resources closer to where they are needed is a sound approach to many of today ’ s digital challenges . Compute power , data processing and analysis and now AI are being moved to the Edge .
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