Ampere's Chief Product Officer Jeff Wittich shares his thoughts on
effectively managing data center growth while prioritizing
sustainability.
SANTA
CLARA, Calif., April 23,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At the close of 2023, the global
tally of data centers neared 11,000, with the United States, Germany, the UK, and China leading the charge in locations. Recent
insights from Cushman & Wakefield highlighted the largest data
center markets, gauged by electricity capacity and consumption. The
Northern Virginia data center
market reigns as the world's largest, handling over one-third of
global online traffic. In the past year alone, data centers
devoured 7.4 Gigawatts of power, a 55% increase from the previous
year.
The emergence of disruptive technologies, particularly AI, has
triggered an exponential surge in data traffic, propelling the
demand for additional data centers and power. According to a recent
report, International Energy Agency (IEA) expects to see "rapid
pace" of growth for data center electricity consumption in the US
over the next couple of years, rising from roughly 4% of US demand
in 2022 to 6% by 2026.
Growing interest in eco-friendly data center solutions are driving the growth of the cooling
markets. Projections indicate that spending on data center cooling
technologies will increase from $12.7
billion in 2023 to $29.6
billion by 2030. However, cooling operations require
substantial volumes of water, posing a burgeoning challenge to
communities. For instance, Iowa, which has emerged as a real estate hub
for tech giants, received a stark warning about declining
groundwater levels due to the massive water demands of data
centers.
Meanwhile, nations across the globe are exploring unconventional
solutions. China made waves last
year with the deployment of the "world's first commercial
underwater data center," leveraging the ocean as a natural cooling
mechanism. This innovative approach is projected to enhance overall
energy efficiency by 40% to 60%,
but accessibility and water temperature
concerns linger.
As advancements proliferate, it has become evident that AI is
no longer a mere differentiator but imperative
for business expansion. Nearly 77% of devices today use AI
technology, and 84% of C level executives believe they need to
adopt and leverage the technology to drive business objectives.
Tech luminaries have weighed in, offering strategies to mitigate
the environmental repercussions of data center expansion fueled by
AI. Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI,
highlighted nuclear fusion as a prospective solution.
However, the industry swiftly countered, arguing that the rapid
rate of AI innovation requires more near-term solution. To keep
pace, we need a resolution now.
Fortunately, a straightforward solution lies at the heart of the
data center: the CPU. While the industry clamors for more GPU
power, the reality is that the majority of workloads do not
necessitate
a GPU - 85% to be exact. Ampere's GPU-Free Platforms,
featuring Cloud Native Processors and Optimized AI Frameworks,
maximize performance, energy efficiency and affordability for
AI inferencing workloads. When running OpenAI's Whisper model,
Ampere CPUs offer up to 2.9 times the performance of a number
of Nvidia's GPU-based solutions and can consume
substantially less power per inference, depending on the
comparative GPU solution.
The evolving data center landscape faces a critical juncture,
balancing growth, efficiency and environmental concerns. As data
demands surge, propelled by disruptive technologies like AI,
sustainable responsibly intensifies. While eco-friendly solutions
and innovative approaches offer promise, challenges persist.
Optimizing foundational components like CPUs is pivotal. Learn
how Ampere's cloud native processors deliver the only
sustainable compute platform with predictable performance,
scalability and power efficiency.
Media Contact: Nicole Conley,
nicole.conley@taniscomm.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-data-center-dilemma-balancing-growth-efficiency--environmental-impact-302123935.html
SOURCE Ampere