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EXPERTS DISCUSS AI’ S TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT ON DATA CENTRE INFRASTRUCTURE
Artificial Intelligence took centre stage in the second instalment of Intelligent Global Media’ s Data Centre Exchange, as industry experts unpacked its transformative – and sometimes daunting – impact on data centre infrastructure. With AI workloads surging, electricity demand for AI-driven facilities is projected to quadruple by 2030, forcing operators to rethink everything from cooling systems to energy sourcing.
Traditional air cooling is giving way to liquid cooling for racks consuming hundreds of kilowatts, while securing reliable power has become a multi-year challenge in some regions. Experts also highlighted the critical role of renewable energy – including solar, wind and emerging small modular nuclear reactors – in meeting this unprecedented demand. Africa, with its abundant renewable resources, was identified as a particularly promising market for AI-powered data centres.
Beyond powering AI, the technology is being deployed inside data centres themselves, optimising operations through predictive maintenance and real-time efficiency improvements. The discussion also touched on the
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evolution of AI workloads, from massive language model training to distributed inferencing, which could reshape future data centre architecture and deployment strategies.
Panellists stressed that meeting these challenges requires bold investment, innovative design and sustainable planning. As AI continues to accelerate, the data centre industry faces a pivotal moment: the opportunity to lead in efficiency and innovation, while balancing the urgent need for environmentally responsible growth.
Thank you to our esteemed panellists: Dr Angus Hay, Regional Executive South Africa, Africa Data Centres; Stephen Bowes-Phipps, VP, EMEA Data Centres, State Street Bank and Trust; and Simon Brady, Director Solutions Architecture, Accelsius.
Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure, has announced the successful completion of its previously reported intent to acquire PurgeRite, a leading provider of mechanical flushing, purging and filtration services for data centres and other mission-critical facilities. The approximately US $ 1.0 billion acquisition enhances Vertiv’ s thermal management services capabilities and strengthens its position as a global leader in next-generation thermal chain services for liquid cooling systems.
The integration of PurgeRite’ s capabilities with Vertiv’ s existing thermal management portfolio is expected to offer significant customer benefits, including enhanced system performance through improved heat transfer and equipment efficiency, reduced risk of downtime through operational excellence and expanded service scale supporting global operations with consistent quality.
“ We are excited to officially welcome PurgeRite to Vertiv, expanding to deepen our fluid management services capabilities,” said Gio Albertazzi, CEO at Vertiv.“ PurgeRite’ s specialised expertise in fluid management services complements our existing portfolio and enhances our ability to provide end-to-end product and service support for customers’ high-density computing and AI applications where efficient thermal management is critical to performance and reliability.”
High-performance computing and the AI factories require liquid cooling technology to operate, and it is crucial to deploy and maintain clean fluid loops to maximise cooling performance. Achieving this starts with optimal flow at commissioning by establishing ultra-clean, air-free, chemically stable coolant and preserving that balance to maintain performance throughout the system’ s lifecycle.
VERTIV COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF PURGERITE
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