OUT OF NECESSITY TO MEET THIS DEMAND , THE END- USERS , DATA AND APPLICATIONS NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER TO ENSURE LOW LATENCY .
E D I T O R ' S Q U E S T I O N
JEROEN SCHLOSSER , SENIOR VP OPERATIONS , NLIGHTEN
An increasingly regionalised pan-European footprint of data centres is very conducive to ensuring the future deployment and scalability of Edge Computing . Clearly , without strategically located , highly connected data centres in situ to provide fit for purpose space and power , Edge Computing cannot fulfil its true potential .
Somewhat comparable to the emergence and rapid growth of the original colocation data centre markets
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OUT OF NECESSITY TO MEET THIS DEMAND , THE END- USERS , DATA AND APPLICATIONS NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER TO ENSURE LOW LATENCY .
going back 20 years – known as FLAP-D – the arrival of Edge Computing and the perquisite data centres is a function of necessity and demand . In the case of FLAP-D , it was the high cost of fibre networks that made it a total necessity to be as close as possible to the carrier exchanges which had already congregated in those particular cities .
Now , data centre location is being driven by the new requirements of SME and enterprise organisations who want to deploy next generation AI and IoT based Edge applications . Out of necessity to meet this demand , the end-users , data and applications need to be physically much closer together to ensure low latency .
Exactly where to locate is a key consideration . Each data centre must be sited in proximity to population areas which are sufficiently dense with SME and large enterprises to justify their viability from an Edge application demand perspective , while also meeting the all-important low latency requirement . In certain markets it is easier to identify such Edge demand hot spots , for example in Germany , there are distinct business and industry locations such as those for manufacturing and
automotive . France and the UK are similar in this respect .
At the same time , the incumbent carriers typically have multiple locations through the country where they interconnect with other ( mobile ) networks . Often , this strongly influences the Edge data centre location as does the power availability .
Ultimately , the acceleration of fit for purpose , highly connected and scalable regional Edge data centres outside of FLAP-D is vital for delivering and future proofing the Edge Computing concept . Enterprise organisations are assured of a more uniform user experience no matter their physical geographic location .
Furthermore , our customers , many of which are local governments and enterprises , value the ability to have their data centre provider in closer proximity to their people . Not only cutting back on travel , but also by seeing the direct impact of our ability to integrate with regional energy projects – including the direct implementation of heat re-use solutions in their city or region .
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