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The Data Center Knowledge News Roundup brings you the latest news and developments across the data center industry – from investments and mergers to security threats and industry trends.

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Power Play

To capitalize on the AI boom, solving the data center power puzzle is essential, says industry expert Ali Fenn.

At this year’s Data Center World, Fenn, president of Lancium, outlined how AI is moving faster than anyone could have imagined. The increased demand for compute and new data center capacity is unprecedented.

“Every current model is probably underestimating what is ahead,” she said. “AI’s transformational potential across every aspect of society is fundamentally governed by only one thing: power.” 

Fenn noted that it took 30 years for US data center power demand to reach 17 GW. Without AI, it was predicted to double again by the end of the decade. But now, estimates for data center power demand by 2030 range from 50 to as high as 80 GW.

Indeed, just this week, utility Dominion Energy said data center developers in Northern Virginia are increasingly seeking “several gigawatts” of electricity for new projects. This equates to as much power as several nuclear reactors can generate.

Check out our coverage of Fenn’s keynote to learn why she believes power is key to unlocking AI data center growth.

More Insights From Data Center World 2024:

Will Data Centers Get Good Marks in New Energy Report to Congress? An upcoming LBNL report will revamp US data center energy use estimates for the AI era. Researchers previewed their initial findings at DCW 2024.
Is Edge Computing Over or Just Getting Started? The hype around edge computing has cooled as AI takes center stage. Panelists at Data Center World 2024 discussed its applications, challenges and future evolution.
ARPA-E Talks ‘Moonshot’ Program to Revolutionize Cooling. At DCW 2024, the program director of the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy expounded on the radical COOLERCHIPS program and how it could change data center cooling forever.
Experts Talk Liquid Cooling Strategies to Manage AI Heat Wave. Powerful new chips and AI applications are generating so much heat that air cooling won't cut it anymore. Experts at DCW 2024 discussed liquid cooling implementation strategies and challenges.

Global Developments

This week saw a flurry of new data center developments, with Google announcing a trio of new projects in Indiana, Virginia, and the Netherlands.

In other hyperscaler news, Microsoft is planning to build a new cloud and AI infrastructure region in Thailand, provide AI skilling opportunities for over 100,000 people and support the nation’s growing developer community.

“Thailand has an incredible opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future,” said Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella. “Our new data center region, along with the investments we are making in cloud and AI infrastructure, as well as AI skilling, build on our long-standing commitment to the country.”

Elsewhere, AdaniConnex, a joint venture formed between Adani Enterprises and Edge Connex, has secured $875 million to build data centers in India.

In the US, Ardent Data Centers has broken ground on an upgrade to its Pittsburgh data center, while Tract has started work on its Peru Shelf Technology Park project in Storey County, Nevada.

Across the Atlantic, Vantage Data Centers has announced it will open a second campus in Zurich, Switzerland, this summer. The news follows the company’s earlier announcement that it would enter the Irish market with a $1 billion, multi-phase data center.
AtlasEdge, meanwhile, has marked its entry into the Portuguese market through the acquisition of two adjacent sites in Lisbon that will deliver more than 20 MW of IT load.

Big Three Cloud Investments

There has been no slowdown for the big three cloud computing giants in 2024, as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google continue to generate more money in the cloud than ever.

The three cloud vendors recently reported earnings results, with all of them extending multi-year streaks of continued revenue growth.

On April 25, both Google and Microsoft reported results. Google Cloud revenue came in at $9.57 billion in Alphabet's first-quarter fiscal 2024 for a 28% year-over-year gain. Microsoft's cloud revenue was $35.1 billion, up 23% year-over-year.

Rounding out the big three on April 30, Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported revenue of $25 billion, a 17% year-over-year gain.

“There is much for cloud providers to be cheerful about, with the three market leaders all seeing their growth rates increase substantially over the last two quarters,” John Dinsdale, chief analyst at Synergy Research Group, commented.

“Going forward, we forecast that there will continue to be strong annual growth, with the market set to double in size in four years.”

Need a Supercomputer?

And finally, the US General Services Administration has launched an auction for the decommissioned Cheyenne Supercomputer.

As reported by Ars Technica this week, the 5.34-petaflop supercomputer in Cheyenne, Wyoming, ranked as the 20th most powerful in the world at the time of its installation in 2016.

The auction includes 28 racks and 14 ‘e-cells’ comprising 8,064 processors and 145,152 cores.

“Moving this system necessitates the engagement of a professional moving company,” the auction description reads. “Due to their considerable weight, the racks require experienced movers equipped with proper PPE to ensure safe handling. Fiber optic and CAT5/6 cabling are excluded from the resale package.”

There are just a few hours left to bid on the supercomputer. As Data Center Knowledge went to press, this unique item had received 23 bids, with the current auction price totaling $285,000.