Operating Data Centres in the Future

Today’s data centres are undergoing disruptive growth and the challenges of commoditisation.  But we are also seeing the industry mature as it hits limits on grid capacity and moves ahead of legislative oversight.

As seen in Aggreko’s research, these are global problems that need global solutions.  At CBRE, it’s my responsibility to come up with pragmatic ideas for these challenges across the 700 data centres we support for clients in over 50 countries.

Behind the scenes, there are massive changes in computer architecture and network topologies – and data centre scale and design are essential to supporting this new boom. A 21-word (30 token) question in ChatGPT-3, for example, requires 5.25 trillion calculations to deliver the answer. For GPT-4, the number is much higher and takes the equivalent power needed for 57,000 homes just to train the model in the first place. 

Demand for data centre services is experiencing another surge, which will only increase further. According to Structure Research, hyperscalers are expected to build 13GW of additional capacity over the coming years. Similarly, CBRE expects massive growth across all regions. In the USA, for instance, the primary markets added nearly 700MW of additional capacity in 2022 alone.

This demand for new capacity is difficult to support and the survey highlights all the pinch points – land, power, water, connectivity, and speed of construction. Data centre operators are chasing the available power now that spare capacity is reducing, and supply chain disruptions have caused construction timelines to be extended.

Modular construction (Prefabricated Modular Data Centres – PMDCs) is one answer to delivering capacity faster.  Standard PMDC modules can be small, specialized (modular power) or with fully integrated turnkey solutions featuring integrated power, cooling and full compute capability. PMDCs also allow delivery of turnkey data centres in new markets, such as Africa and South America, where the shortage of qualified construction staff limits development.

The drive towards modularity offers flexibility, but it can also sacrifice performance.  If most data centre operators see PMDC technologies as part of their future strategies, what does this mean for uptime? And, more importantly, is uptime on the line?

With spare capacity being used, many colocation data centres are now operating close to their design limits for longer periods. Grid instability leaves less time to react before limits are breached and backups cut in. And with first generation facilities, we are also dealing with equipment at or beyond design life, meaning a huge programme of upgrades is required for many clients. This is a significant challenge. Ensuring you have sufficient power backup on call is a paramount consideration.

Efficiency is obviously another major driver for upgrading old equipment. Operators are focusing on improving energy consumption, adopting green initiatives and more efficient hardware. Many clients are also exploring greener alternatives, as this report shows, with a drive towards decentralisation. Personally, I would like to see more regenerative UPS and greater use of power peak shaving, though this seems to be a future concept rather than a current plan. Still, data centre operators are clearly interested in exploring all technologies available to them – likely because many of the operational challenges discussed in this report are forcing a rethink.

Sustainability requirements will become mandatory over the next decade (see EU Energy Efficiency Directive) but, as it stands, most of the debate is being driven within the industry itself. This is good to see. However, rising water usage for cooling will increase attention from regulatory bodies and is something that may become difficult to deploy as supplies run dry.  But this is already being anticipated in some markets. CBRE, for example, has seen more of its clients using recycling systems and rainwater collection tanks, as well as smart control algorithms and fine tuning of systems to optimise cooling performance. Whether these will guarantee uptime is still unclear, but they are certainly paving the way for data centres in the future.

Read the report