DataCenters.buzz, Dec 2024

DataCenter Economics & Investments

Cloud Adoption Plus Ai Will Contribute Trillions Of Dollars To Global GDP - The cloud’s contribution to global GDP is projected to surpass $12 trillion in the next six years according to a trio of new studies.

Earlier news:

KKR Sees $250B Spent Annually From Data Center Boom - Soaring demand for data centers to support artificial intelligence and cloud-computing will boost global spending in the sector to $250 billion a year, according to KKR. The U.S. is the biggest developer of data centers. That infrastructure consumes about 16 to 18 gigawatts of power, compared with about 6 gigawatts each in Europe and Asia, Waldemar Szlezak, KKR’s global head of digital infrastructure, said in an interview. For comparison, 1 gigawatt is enough to supply 850,000+ average U.S. households. (The Middle Market)

Amazon Doubles Down on Nuclear Energy With Deal for Small Reactors - The cloud computing giant signed a deal to buy electricity generated by small modular reactors to power its data centers. This follows a similar announcement by Google. Amazon is leading a $500 million funding round for X-Energy Reactor, a company that develops small modular nuclear reactors and fuel. (DataCenter Knowledge)

Chicago Alderman Proposes Data Center Development to Boost Economic Growth - This week, workers began tearing down the vacant Sears world headquarters in Hoffman Estates before the site is turned into a data center, a trend that has grown popular in the suburbs and now, a Chicago alderman wants to bring more of them into the city. (Y!)

Energy & Sustainability

'Unprecedented' Energy Demand From Data Centers Poses Big Challenges For Virginia, Commission Says - Data centers in Virginia are causing a surge in energy demand that will be very challenging to accommodate in the coming decades, according to a new state report. The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission has been studying data center impacts over the past year as directed by the General Assembly. Virginia is a global hub for data centers. At least 70% of the world's internet traffic runs through Northern Virginia alone.

Earlier news:

Powering AI Data Centers: Government and Industry Leaders Scramble to Develop Energy Infrastructure to Meet Growing Demand - In September 2024, government officials and private industry leaders announced that Three Mile Island, the Pennsylvania power plant that was the site of the nation’s most severe commercial nuclear accident, will be reopened to provide electricity aimed at offsetting the use by artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing data centers. On September 12, 2024, faced with the growing disparity between power supply and demand, the White House convened representatives from hyperscalers (tech companies that provide cloud computing services to businesses and organizations and have their own AI programs), major AI companies, data center operators, and utility companies to discuss ways to further US leadership in AI while meeting clean energy, permitting, and workforce objectives. (DLA Piper)

Amazon Prefers Renewables in Asia as Nuclear Still Elusive - Amazon sticks with renewables to power data centers in Asia, while others like Microsoft explore nuclear options in the US. “We’re going where we can procure today, and that’s renewables” in the region, said Ken Haig, APAC regional head of energy and environmental policy at Amazon Web Services. “Is it possible to procure nuclear power in this part of the world? Not yet.” (DataCenter Knowledge)

Data Center Boom to Drive 2.5B Metric Tons of CO2 Emissions - A surge in the construction of data centers worldwide is projected to result in approximately 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by the end of the decade, according to a Morgan Stanley report. This expansion, largely driven by hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, is fueled by the increasing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies. Amazon, Microsoft and Google now account for 60 percent of all hyperscale data center capacity. (greentechlead)

Geopolitics, Global & Sovereigns

Nvidia Pledges Ai Collaboration With Thailand Amid Data Center Ecosystem Hurdles - Nvidia plans to collaborate with the Thai government to establish a world-class AI infrastructure, though questions remain about Thailand's ability to fully capitalize on its strengths in developing a significant presence in the AI data center ecosystem. According to Barron's and the Bangkok Post, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on December 3, resulting in both parties agreeing to deepen AI cooperation.

Earlier news:

Saudi Arabia Launches $100 Billion AI Initiative to Lead in Global Tech - Saudi Arabia has announced a 100 billion USD initiative aimed at establishing itself as a major player in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and advanced technology. The program, known as Project Transcendence, marks a significant push by the Kingdom to develop a robust AI ecosystem that can rival leading tech hubs, including neighbouring United Arab Emirates and other global technology centers. Project Transcendence is expected to channel investments into critical areas needed to create a thriving AI industry. (CIO)

First IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe Opens; Will Include IBM's Most Performant Quantum Systems - Expansion of IBM's utility-scale fleet of quantum computers in Ehningen, Germany is marked with ribbon-cutting by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and industry leaders. Now online, Europe's first IBM Quantum Data Center includes two new utility-scale, IBM Quantum Eagle-based systems, and will soon feature a new IBM Quantum Heron-based system. These systems are capable of performing computations beyond the brute-force simulation capabilities of classical computers. (IBM.com)

Hyderabad Hosts Global AI Summit: Aiming to Become the World's AI Capital - Staking claim to the tag of “AI capital of the world”, Hyderabad will host a two-day Global Artificial Intelligence Summit (GAIS) at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. With the theme “Making AI work for everyone”, the global conference will deliberate on important issues on the use of Artificial Intelligence in technical advancements. The summit is said to be the first-ever such event to be hosted by a state government in India and is clearly meant to attract the world’s attention towards Hyderabad as a leader in the fields of Information Technology & AI. (New Indian Express)

Hyperscalers & Mag 7+

Meta announces 4 Million Sq Ft, 2GW Louisiana Data Center Campus - Social media giant Meta has confirmed plans to build a data center in Louisiana announcing a $10 billion development in Richland Parish, northeast Louisiana. “We are excited to announce that Richland Parish, Louisiana, will be home to Meta’s newest data center — our 23rd data center in the US and 27th in the world,” the company said on Facebook. “This custom-designed four million-square-foot campus will be our largest data center to date. It will play a vital role in accelerating our AI progress.” (Data Center Dynamics)

Earlier news:

Big Tech's AI Splurge Worries Investors About Returns - Big technology companies including Microsoft Meta, and Amazon, are stepping up spending to build out AI data centers in a rush to meet vast demand, but Wall Street is hungry for a quicker payday on the billions invested. Microsoft and Meta both said their capital expenses were growing due to their AI investments. Alphabet also reported that these expenditures would remain elevated, while Amazon said they would increase the rest of the year and into 2025.

Google Turns to Nuclear to Power AI data Centres - Google has signed a deal to use small nuclear reactors to generate the vast amounts of energy needed to power its artificial intelligence (AI) data centres. The company says the agreement with Kairos Power will deliver the first reactor this decade and bring more online by 2035. (BBC)

NVIDIA Announces Financial Results for Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 - Nvidia reported record quarterly revenue of $30.0 billion, up 15% from Q1 and up 122% from a year ago...and record quarterly Data Center revenue of $26.3 billion, up 16% from Q1 and up 154% from a year ago. (Nvidia news). Also see: Nvidia Can’t Escape Shadow of AI Spending Fears - Strong results from chip maker don’t ease worries about durability of Big Tech’s AI investments.

Infrastructure, Security & Technology

Microsoft Says New Technology Will Save Water At Mount Pleasant, WI Data Center Development - Microsoft’s data center development in Mount Pleasant, WI will be among the first in the world to use a new closed-loop system to recycle water — a move the company says “significantly reduces the need for fresh water.” “These new liquid cooling technologies recycle water through a closed loop,” Solomon wrote about the new technology. “Once the system is filled during construction, it will continually circulate water between the servers and chillers to dissipate heat without requiring a fresh water supply.” (WPR)

Earlier news:

NTIA Issues Request for Comment on Data Center Policies - The US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has put out a request for comment on federal policies regarding data centers. The RFC was published on September 4 and seeks "comments on the challenges surrounding data center growth, resilience and security in the United States amidst a surge of computing power demand due to the development of critical and emerging technologies." The RFC specifically identifies artificial intelligence (AI) as a driving force for the "accelerated demands for more computing infrastructure." (Data Center Dynamics)

Data Centers Are Suddenly Everywhere — But Some Say "no thanks" - Some communities and politicians are pushing back against data centers — vital yet sometimes controversial facilities underpinning our digital lives and the AI explosion. Why it matters: More than 5,000 of these key tech facilities now dot the American landscape, often requiring massive amounts of energy and land and receiving big government incentives. For example: Atlanta's city council in Sept. banned data centers near transit stations, with one member arguing they conflict with housing, parks and other land use demands. (Axios)

Telcos and Hyperscalers are Driving Digital Transformation - In the data centre sector, telcos and hyperscalers play a complementary role, with hyperscalers being present in key cities with large data centres, while telcos have a role to play as regional data centres with more reach & capillarity in their respective markets. (Data Centre Mag)

European Alternative to AWS, Azure and Google was Born Inside Lidl (techzine)

Quantum-readiness, Hybrid & Co-Location

10 Quantum Computing Milestones Of 2024 - When it comes to the general-purpose quantum computers, the superconducting approach seems to be in the lead right now, according to Gartner analyst Chirag Dekate. “The physics is much better understood and it’s now an engineering problem, not a physics problem,” he says. “We’re really at the level of real-world use cases,” says Holger Mueller, an analyst at Constellation Research. “We’ve jumped the qubit barrier.” #1. QuEra demonstrates new error correction method. This year started off with a series of announcements about breakthroughs in error correction. What’s the deal with error correction? Qubits are ridiculously sensitive and unreliable. “Error correction is vital for enterprise users of quantum computing,” says Yoram Avidan, CTO of Citigroup’s Innovation Lab and global head of Citi Accelerator... (Network World)

Earlier news:

Accenture Expands Generative AI-Powered Cybersecurity Services and Capabilities to Accelerate Clients’ Resilience and Reinvention - Accenture announced new services and capabilities designed to reinvent business and cyber resilience through the power of gen AI, deepfake protection and quantum-safe data security solutions to help clients across industries become cyber-resilient organizations. “Modern cybersecurity protects across the entire business—from the digital core to the supply chain—and draws on gen AI-powered and quantum-proof protections, which are vital as cybercriminals ramp up new kinds of attacks using advanced AI technologies,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “Our new cybersecurity services and centers help our clients use the latest technologies to safeguard their critical assets and increase their resilience, so they can reinvent with confidence and create more value faster.” (Accenture)

Cisco Takes Aim at Developing Quantum Data Center - Researchers from Cisco report there are substantial efforts underway now to develop practical quantum networks and data centers. Cisco Research recently hosted its Quantum Summit 2024 gathering that drew industry experts to discuss ongoing work focused on everything quantum from networking to security, but it was research being done in the quantum data center that garnered most of Cisco’s focus. (Network World)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Partners with Quantum Brilliance for Hybrid Quantum Computing Project - Quantum Brilliance has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to integrate room-temperature quantum computers with classical supercomputers. The diamond-based quantum technology company and the lab are planning to build a platform that will support the on-premises integration of Quantum Brilliance’s diamond quantum accelerators into the HPC systems housed at ORNL. (Data Center Dynamics)

Quantum Computers, Coming to a Data Center Near You - Getting quantum and classical hardware to coexist takes deft engineering. Quantum processors are expected to massively outperform classical ones on certain problems, but for many… (IEEE)

DataCenter Workforce & Talent

How Many Jobs Are Available in Technology in the US? - The unemployment rate among technology professionals fell slightly to 2.5% in November, matching the low end of the rate for 2024 so far, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released in early December 2024. To succeed in the market, tech leaders must go beyond just technology, she said. They need to prove themselves as “AI forward thinkers,” a broad trait that includes systems thinking, data science, tech expertise, and change management.

Earlier news:

Amid Data Boom, Equinix Engages in Layoffs and Restructuring - Although spending on data centers is projected to increase by 35% this year thanks to AI, data center operator Equinix confirmed to Light Reading it recently laid off 3% of its global workforce, or roughly 400 positions out of the 13,000 employees worldwide Equinix reported at the end of last year. (Light Reading)

Global Cybersecurity Talent Gap Widens - While the cybersecurity workforce continues to expand, there are only enough workers to fill 83% of available cybersecurity jobs, reports job market source CyberSeek. Data from CyberSeek shows that in the U.S., some 265,000 more cybersecurity workers are needed to solve current staffing needs. (Network World)

Cost, AI, and Staffing Are Biggest Concerns for Data Centers - Data center operators are grappling with rising costs, the impact of AI on capacity requirements, and persistent staffing shortages, Uptime Institute reports. (Network World)

Overcoming Data Center Industry Staff Shortages with Skilled Tradespeople - High schools and vocational schools could implement programs to introduce students to data center industry careers--and even provide basic training to get them started.

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