The industry-average PUE decreases slowly, with efficient new data centers offset by legacy facilities. Weighting the average by IT capacity instead reveals a faster pace of efficiency gains from larger new builds.
Rules to protect the electricity grid from large swings in data center power demand are being drafted. But will they arrive before a major data center hub suffers a blackout?
The challenge of managing AI training-related power swings is still relatively new. Addressing these swings at their root cause — the IT hardware itself — can be both technically and economically effective.
NERC's draft computational load standards could redefine data centers as active grid participants, requiring new modeling, data reporting, operational coordination and disturbance reporting in a bid to protect grid stability.
This report reviews the key deployment considerations to ensure that risks associated with Li-ion battery energy storage in UPS systems are understood and mitigated appropriately.
The Irish answer to the grid integration question is stark: all on-site power must be exported to the grid and repurchased at market prices.
Can batteries transform how data centers power AI and connect to the grid? To do so, BESS technologies will need further economic and technical improvements to unlock faster interconnections, cleaner energy and smarter power control.
Traditional air gap security presents a barrier to applications requiring live IT-OT telemetry data. Rising interest in real-time monitoring and AI-driven operations requires a rethink of outdated, inflexible cybersecurity approaches.
A new generation of vendors is entering the market to offer prefabricated modular data centers — betting that surging demand for AI will give these facilities a competitive edge.
IT-OT equipment telemetry offers huge potential to improve visibility into live facility operations, but data exchange often fails because systems and protocols are incompatible.
On site fuel storage plays a critical role in maintaining data center resiliency. Following best practices will help operators extend the longevity of their on-site diesel stocks and avoid price increases.
While water cold plates continue to dominate current liquid-cooling adoption, the industry has also turned its attention to different approaches, with two-phase cold plates in particular becoming a promising alternative.
The topic of direct current (DC) power distribution in data centers is back, and this time it may be different.
Water treatment and chemicals giant Ecolab has agreed to pay $4.75 billion in cash for Canadian DLC specialist CoolIT. It is the latest sign of unabated demand for AI compute.
Even before data center operators move to higher voltages, rising power densities are increasing the risks faced by electricians.
Jacqueline Davis
Max Smolaks
Daniel Bizo
Jay Dietrich
Peter Judge
John O'Brien
Rose Weinschenk