Technologies and latest Trends in DATA CENTER INDUSTRY: Tracking the DATA

 

                                       

The data center industry is constantly evolving with new trends and technologies emerging to improve performance, reliability, and sustainability. Here are some of the latest trends and technologies in data center industries:

1. Edge computing: Edge computing is a decentralized approach to data processing that brings compute resources closer to the point of data generation. This trend is gaining popularity as it helps reduce network latency and improves application performance.
2. Modular data centers: Modular data centers are prefabricated, self-contained units that can be quickly deployed and easily scaled. This approach allows for faster deployment and greater flexibility.
3. Hybrid cloud: A hybrid cloud approach combines the use of public and private clouds to achieve better performance and cost savings. This trend is gaining popularity as it allows organizations to leverage the benefits of both public and private clouds.

 

 

4. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is being used in data centers to optimize operations, improve energy efficiency, and reduce downtime. AI-powered analytics can help predict failures before they happen, enabling proactive maintenance and reducing downtime.
5. Liquid cooling: Liquid cooling is becoming more popular as a way to improve energy efficiency and reduce cooling costs. Liquid cooling can be more effective than traditional air cooling, allowing for higher density computing and reducing energy consumption.
6. Renewable energy: Data centers are increasingly using renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to reduce their carbon footprint. Some data centers are even becoming completely self-sufficient with the use of renewable energy sources.
7. Data center infrastructure management (DCIM): DCIM software is used to monitor and manage data center infrastructure, including power usage, cooling, and network connectivity. This software can help improve efficiency and reduce costs by identifying inefficiencies and providing insights for optimization.

Overall, these trends and technologies are helping data center industries to become more efficient, reliable, and sustainable. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovation in this industry in the years to come.

 

 

Turning DATA in Green

Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is an important metric in data center operations as it measures the efficiency of energy usage. In India, there are several trends related to PUE in data centers. Here are some of the latest PUE trends in data centers in India:

1. Adoption of green energy: Data centers in India are increasingly adopting green energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro power to reduce their carbon footprint and improve PUE. Several data centers have been built or retrofitted with renewable energy sources to reduce their dependence on non-renewable sources.
2. Modular data centers: Modular data centers are gaining popularity in India due to their high scalability, ease of deployment, and low PUE. These pre-fabricated units are designed to optimize energy usage and reduce cooling requirements, resulting in lower PUE.
3. Use of efficient cooling systems: Data centers in India are investing in advanced cooling technologies such as liquid cooling and hot/cold aisle containment to improve PUE. These technologies enable efficient heat removal and reduce the need for energy-intensive air conditioning systems.
4. Energy-efficient hardware: Data center operators in India are investing in energy-efficient hardware such as servers, storage devices, and networking equipment to reduce PUE. These hardware solutions are designed to optimize energy usage and reduce the overall power consumption of the data center.
5. Efficient power management: Data centers in India are implementing advanced power management systems to optimize energy usage and reduce PUE. These systems include power monitoring, energy usage tracking, and automated power management solutions to reduce waste and improve efficiency.

 

 

Policies have been implemented to address the energy and emissions footprint of data centres and networks.

While broader electricity decarbonisation policies are playing a key role in reducing operational emissions from data centres and networks, there are only a few existing policies and regulations primarily focused on reducing their energy consumption or emissions footprint. In data centres, these include:

Regulatory and voluntary schemes to improve energy efficiency at the component level (e.g. servers, data storage, HVAC) such as ENERGY STAR and EU Ecodesign Regulations for servers and data storage products.

Buildings-based data centre energy efficiency guidance, standards, ratings, certifications and labelling schemes such as the EU Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency, CLC/TS 50600-5-1, BREEAM SD 5068 (United Kingdom) and IGBC Green Data Center Rating System (India).

Some recent policy developments are aimed at improving data collection and transparency:

The US Energy Act of 2020 calls for an updated study on data centre energy use (following a 2016 report), an open data initiative on energy use for federally owned and operated data centres, and the development of new efficiency metrics. 

A new law passed by the French Senate in November 2021 requires French telecom operators to disclose key environmental indicators to their customers. 

The European Commission adopted amendments to energy statistics regulations in February 2022, which include new data reporting requirements for data centres. Some countries have already started to publish country-level data centre energy consumption estimates in recent years, notably Ireland and the Netherlands.

The European Commission’s proposed Energy Efficiency Directive in its Fit for 55 legislative package includes sustainability reporting requirements for data centre operators. It would also require data centres exceeding 100 kW capacity (threshold to be finalised) to conduct a cost–benefit assessment of waste heat utilisation. In 2021 the Norwegian government proposed requirements for data centres with capacity above 2 MW to explore connections with district heating suppliers.

In China, the government has called for average power use effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25 in the east and 1.2 in the west of the country as part of its Eastern Data and Western Computing project. Major cities in China have minimum PUE requirements for new data centres, including in Beijing (1.4), Shanghai (1.3) and Shenzhen (no subsidies above 1.4).

Other jurisdictions announced temporary restrictions on new hyperscale data centre developments in 2022, including the Netherlands. Singapore recently lifted its 2019 moratorium on new data centres. 

 

Top five corporate off takers of renewable energy power purchase agreements, 2010-2021

 

                                                                                                                                                                                      IEA. Licence: CC BY 4.0

• Solar
• Wind