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operation. We do not close over Christmas, we do not close over bank holidays; our clients are relying on us and paying us to ensure we are there, present and available. So, you ' re almost looking at doubling those roles because you have these shift patterns that you have to fill. There are a lot of complexities that aren ' t necessarily seen or spoken about; it ' s not just filling a nine-to-five role.
Data centres in general get a bad public rap – especially when it comes to hot button issues like climate change. How can this be turned around?
The public perception is a very real issue and it ' s actually preventing growth within the industry. There are so many data centres that have been rejected at the planning stages purely because of the public ' s perception of what they actually are.
You use it [ data centres ] every single day, I ' m afraid to say. When you ' re annoyed because your Netflix isn ' t working, potentially it ' s a network issue that ultimately relates to a data centre at some point. Or when you have people who live in more rural, remote areas and they know they can ' t get super-fast broadband, that ' s because you don ' t have a data centre very close to you that can provide a point of presence to enable it.
However, I actually think it ' s more about an education piece to explain the byproduct, the benefit to the end-user. So, the example I ' ve just given: your Netflix, your Teams, your WhatsApp – all of that, that is the hub that holds it. This ' cloud ', unfortunately, is not a place in the sky; it ' s physical infrastructure.
How can you make it more relatable to the public?
At Custodian, my previous company, we had a YouTube channel that had hundreds of thousands of views and subscribers – and we actually took people inside the data centre. We did ' day in the life of a NOC engineer ' [ Network
Operations Centre ] and everything, to try and explain. But it wasn ' t heavily technical; it was just about understanding what goes into it on a really top-level, base-level.
Hopefully, with that, there will be more tangible content that general people can relate to. And it ' s also all of our responsibilities as well. We work in the industry, we have a voice, we have a platform.
Data centres have to show that they are operating sustainably. What are your thoughts on micro nuclear reactors( SMRs) as off-grid power sources? And what’ s you forecast for them?
Public perception again will play a huge part. Governmental impact will also play a huge part. But we’ re looking at them as a solution that will be ready in a decade – if you speak to people in the industry that are actually developing them. And there are a lot of people now that are investing heavily in technology, which is great to see.
What I would love to see is a data centre, powered by an SMR, so it ' s effectively its own little microgrid, not taking away from the main grid, which you and I in our homes could be affected by, not putting strain on it. That is an ideal for me – that they operate in silo, independently.
Where will Xela Energy – previously Clean Energy Capital – will be going over the next five years, and what is your game plan?
With the rebrand to Xela Energy, we are absolutely looking for change. We are looking to innovate within the industry, and more importantly, we are looking to turn our vision into real, true progress within the sector. We want to see a world powered by secure, scalable, sustainable power. As we ' ve just discussed, we are having to think outside that traditional box now, and Xela Energy will be at the forefront of that; we ' ll be a significant part of that transition. �
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