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What we learned at Datacloud USA 2024

What did the Datacloud attendees spend their time in Austin discussing? Across multiple days of sessions, our speakers delved into the issues that matter for US digital infrastructure - power, AI, regulation and everything in between. Here is a summary of what we learned at Datacloud USA 2024.

AI

The demand variability of AI is dramatic - nobody knows the requirements of tomorrow as AI/ML is still fundamentally a research project - and this aspect of AI development took up a lot of talk time.

The pace of innovation is startling, and opens up a lot of challenges related to technical obsolecence. Chips now have a shelflife as short as 12 months, and data centre designs themselves are also in danger of not meeting client needs even before the concrete has set.

That said, it's important not to get carried away. Companies don't change their architecture overnight, and database structures and email servers are not going anywhere. This will probably mean hybrid architecture between traditional services and HPC workloads.

Power

Power and AI go hand in hand - you can't have the second without a steady supply of the first, and Datacloud delegates spent a lot of time working out how to solve difficulties with power generation and transmission.

Demand is at unprecedented levels - one DC used to me a megawatt and now that's just one rack. Some solutions proposed included microgrids, combining utility power, onsite / offsite renewables and battery energy storage systems, as well as nuclear - is there a path to decarbonisation without nuclear power, given solar and wind alone cannot supply data centres? Or will AI demand mean more natural gas-fired DCs? Delegates also heard case studies of creative power solutions, including the use of batteries to avoid brownouts in Texas and California.

Community engagement

Discussing how to be less unpopular is never a nice conversation to have, but the Datacloud USA audience stepped up and discussed how to make a better impression on the communities we serve.

Various ideas were shared, from school visits to identifying the community influencers we need to win over - as well as old-fashioned PR and press placements. One good example shared was the iMasons 'Data centres as a good neighbour' playbook, being developed to give operators a clear pathway to winning hearts and minds in their locations.

Ultimately, NIMBYism is real for data centres - and unless the industry gets a grip on it, permits are going to be harder and harder to come by.

Sustainability

Sustainability is more of a headache for operators than ever, but there has been significant progress in turning DC power green, with CSPs and hyperscalers setting the tone with public commitments to net zero. Equinix is 96% covered by renewable energy with a plan for 100% by 2030, delegates heard, and there is progress on the chip side with GPUs delivering 4x the compute for the same energy input. But can the industry keep this up in the face of the upcoming AI wave?

New markets

Datacloud USA also looks outside the border - particularly to the south, with Mexico identified as a place for tremendous potential growth. 

In general, operators are chasing the power - there is more willingness now to build facilities in isolated areas and worry about fibre later, which is opening more new markets in previously disregarded locations. 

Workforce

How can we get people working in data centres? Providing employment and rewarding careers is one of the main levers to improve our industry's reputation, and the problem is occupying a lot of headspace. Delegates heard about successful programmes involving military recruitment, as well as training schemes for security and maintenance staff.

Financing

You can't have any data centres without the money to build them, so naturally financing also formed a big part of the onsite discussions. With changes to the size of both the capital spending and the operating stacks, there is a need to keep up with the shifts in financing sources and instruments.

Cooling

On the subject of cooling, discussion at Datacloud USA focused mainly on the change in the cooling landscape from air-cooled to direct to chip cooling. The potential for immersion cooling was also discussed, although there are concerns about the engineering hurdles that need to be overcome - lots of data centres cannot physically support the weight of the immersion technology solutions required to get chip temperatures down to the magic number.

Heat reuse also reared its head - the opportunity to put heat back into community assets like swimming pools or municipal heating systems was a popular solution among delegates thanks to its double-duty - cooling the centres and making a good community impression. It's hard to be upset at a company keeping your house warm...

Be part of the conversation in 2025!

There will be lots more where this came from at Datacloud USA 2025. The agenda for the event is still under consideration and will change to reflect where the market goes in 2024 and early 2025 - with Datacloud USA's participants helping to set the tone of discussion. 

If you would like to join the event in 2025, please register your interest below.

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