Data centers will face stricter government regulations and more intensive supervision in 2023. This is the result of the data center industry's increasing energy and water consumption on top of ongoing climate change. This increasing focus on the impact of data centers on the environment and society is one of the five industry trends for 2023 according to the data center experts at Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and connectivity solutions.
In a recent report entitled Silicon heatwave: the looming change in data center climates the Uptime Institute pointed to figures from the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC), which show that the energy consumption of servers has increased by 266 percent since 2017. This contributes to the focus on sustainability, a central theme within the 2023 trends that Vertiv experts see, namely:
- The regulations surrounding data centers are becoming increasingly extensive
Governments are under pressure from all sides to meet citizens' demand for energy and water. This forces them to take a critical look at the excessive use of these scarce resources by data centers. These are responsible for such 3 percent of global energy consumption, which is forecast to reach 4 percent in 2030. - A greater focus on rack density
According to a recent survey by Omdia, 99 percent of all data center operators say prefabricated, modular data center designs are part of their future data center strategy. Vertiv experts expect that hyperscalers will increasingly rely on these prefab designs in 2023 in view of the speed and efficiency that standardization offers. - Diesel generators face formidable competition
The diesel generator has long been a far from perfect yet unavoidable part of the data center ecosystem. This generator contains stored energy that remains largely unused, but still requires maintenance and refueling after periods of inactivity. And as soon as generators are switched on to provide emergency power, they produce the very CO2 emissions that data center operators are working hard to prevent. Vertiv experts expect that a preferred alternative will come to the fore in 2023: hydrogen-based fuel cells. These cells will initially function in a very similar way to a diesel generator by supplying temporary power. However, they have the potential to be used for a long period of time or even continuously. - New thermal management strategies through higher rack density
Rack density levels have remained unchanged for years, but in 2023 more and more data center operators will demand higher density racks. According to the 2022 Global Data Center Survey from the Uptime Institute, more than a third of all data center operators say their rack density has increased rapidly over the past three years. They have little choice but to push the limits of their existing data centers. They do this, among other things, by housing servers in narrow spaces, increasing rack density and creating thermal profiles that require liquid cooling. This technology delivers efficient and hassle-free applications in high-density data center environments. - 5G and the metaverse meet at the edge of the network
Omdia predicts in his 2022 Mobile Subscription and Revenue Forecast that almost half of all mobile subscriptions in 2027 will concern 5G services. This brings computing power closer to the user. The metaverse is an example of an application that requires a high-density, low-latency computing network. In 2023, these two phenomena will converge: metaverse deployments will leverage 5G networks for much-needed ultra-low latency. This requires the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality planning and management systems and an increasing use of UPS systems with lithium-ion batteries at the edge of the network.
“Sustainability has been the most important area of focus for the data center industry in recent years. This is in line with the focus in 2023 on stricter government guidelines and interest in alternative energy sources,” says Karsten Winther, CEO for the EMEA region at Vertiv. “Moving forward, data center owners and operators will need to engage with a partner that offers infrastructure solutions and can advise them on best practices and technologies to achieve their net zero goals. With increasing innovation and transformation within the sector, especially in the field of 5G and the metaverse, 2023 promises to be an exciting year for both our customers and the data center industry.”
To learn more about 2023 industry trends, visit Vertiv.com
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