AI training clusters can show rapid and large swings in power consumption. This behavior is likely driven by a combination of properties of both modern compute silicon and AI training software — and may be difficult to manage at scale.
Examining staffing trends in China’s data centers could provide insights into how US and European data center teams can expand their talent pipeline and address workforce shortages caused by an aging population.
Uptime analysis suggests a growing interest in public cloud by financial institutions. But concerns over cloud providers’ support for regulation compliance ahead of the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act may cause some to pull back.
The European Database on Data Centres is operational, but EU member state processes to provide required IDs are still being finalized. Operators should begin the data submittal process as member state coordinator(s) are assigned.
Generative AI models brought about an influx of high-density cabinets. There has been much focus on how to best manage thermal issues, but the weight of power distribution equipment is a potentially overlooked concern.
Pulling reliable power consumption data from IT is increasingly important for operators. Although third-party software products offer promise, significant roadblocks still hinder adoption.
Data center operators are already required to reduce their impact on the climate and soon they may have to do the same with local habitats. Emerging nature restoration rules will demand action to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity.
UPS systems are the number one root cause of significant and severe outages. Analysis of reliability data from data center management software provider Fulcrum Collaborations sheds more light on the prevalent UPS component failures.
Densification is — once again — high on the agenda, with runaway expectations largely due to compute power requirements of generative AI workloads. Will this time be different? Uptime’s 2024 global survey of data center managers offers some clues.
Trust in AI as a tool for data center operations has declined sharply in the past three years. It is possible to control for the factors that drive mistrust — and see better outcomes when employees interact with AI-based systems.
The data center industry’s drive for carbon-free growth appears to be at odds with electricity grid stability. Data center operators will need to reorient their strategies to integrate growth, efficiency and decarbonization.
Software updates by third-party IT providers occur every day, either in the cloud or on-premises. The recent global IT outage has exposed a hard truth: that another major event is likely to occur.
The Netherlands has started to publish data center EED information and KPI reports — the first EU nation to do so — but with only 25% of reported IT space including data on energy and water use, the 2024 data report will not provide meaningful data.
Data center teams and their suppliers need to build a coherent, achievable sustainability strategy to address emerging regulations. Managers should clarify roles and set cross-functional metrics to achieve sustainability goals.
Most operators will be familiar with the outrageous power and cooling demands of hardware for generative AI. Why are these systems so difficult to accommodate, and what does this mean for the future of data center design?
Daniel Bizo
Rose Weinschenk
John O'Brien
Jay Dietrich
Max Smolaks
Peter Judge
Jabari Williams-George