Active Archives can Tackle AI's Rising Demands for Energy and Storage

Story by Rich Gadomski

Key Points:

• The explosive growth of AI has created the need for new approaches to energy usage, data management, and information aggregation. Active archiving can help solve many of these challenges, enabling organizations to exploit the full power of large AI datasets.
• As AI deployments continue, it’s clear that this game-changing technology will continue to consume vast amounts of energy. A single query into a large language model (LLM) such as ChatGPT generates one hundred times more carbon than a 谷歌 search.
• Additionally, LLMs require training, which can consume up to 10 GWh for a single model. It is not just Google, Azure, and AWS that create LLMs. Many companies, governments, and organizations are working on their own models.
• Active archive intelligent data management software allows data to be stored in numerous locations and spread across multiple storage devices and tiers while keeping that data readily accessible whenever needed to support user needs, including AI workflows.
• Almost all enterprise data could be valuable if made available to an AI engine. Therefore, many enterprises are turning to archiving to gather organizational data in one place and make it available for AI and GenAI tools to access.
• If organizations driving AI initiatives are to realize their potential for productive and beneficial outcomes, they must be able to process, analyze, correlate, and reach conclusions based on vast amounts of information.

Welcome to Data Center Knowledge Discoveries!

You already know that every day at Data Center Knowledge brings advice, trends and strategies for data center professionals on how to design, build, and manage world-class data centers.

That means original reporting from our team of journalists and unique commentary you won’t see anywhere else! But in case you missed them, here are some of our other must-read favorites from this week:

Full Steam Ahead for AI Development

Story by Wylie Wong

Key Points:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that its latest custom AI chip, Trainium2, is now available through two new cloud services for training and deploying large AI models, the company said today (Tuesday, Dec. 3).
• At its AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, AWS said its new Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Trn2 instances, featuring 16 Trainium2 chips, provide 20.8 peak petaflops of compute, making it ideal for training and deploying large language models (LLMs) with billions of parameters.
• The hyperscale cloud provider is also collaborating with Anthropic , the creator of the Claude LLM, to build an EC2 cluster of Trn2 UltraServers that will contain hundreds of thousands of Trainium2 chips – and allow Anthropic to build and deploy its future models on.
• To support high-density AI workloads, AWS said it has developed engineering innovations that enable it to support a six times increase in rack power density over the next two years. That is delivered, in part, by a new power shelf that efficiently delivers data center power throughout a rack, according to AWS.

Unleashing the Power of White Box Switches

Story by Chris Tozzi

Key Points:

• While white box switches can deliver flexibility and cost savings, their potential drawbacks – such as higher setup effort and uncertain compatibility – make them less suitable for certain scenarios.
• A white box switch is a network switch built using generic components whose exact origin is not always clear. That is because, typically, white box switches are sold by vendors that manufacture them using materials they obtain from undisclosed sources.
• The lack of details about hardware components can make it challenging to confirm exactly which hardware you have or what it will work with. This means that the operating system you intend to use may turn out not to be compatible with your hardware, for instance.
• Choosing the right network switch for your data center often feels like a balancing act between cost, flexibility, and long-term reliability. Read on to discover when white box switches might be the ideal solution – and when they might not.

2025 Promises Boosted Growth Driven by Security and AI

Story by Sean M. Kerner

Key Points:

• Organizations are betting big on technology for 2025, with artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity leading investment priorities despite ongoing economic pressures. Spiceworks ' 2025 State of IT report reveals that nearly two-thirds of companies plan to increase their IT budgets, while only a tiny fraction expects cuts.
• "Over the last two years, AI has been perhaps the hottest buzzword in tech," Peter Tsai , head of technology insights at Spiceworks, told ITPro Today. "With hyped business technologies, data can reveal if initial enthusiasm matches reality over time, and often it doesn't."
• A noteworthy trend is emerging in technology partnership dynamics, with businesses showing flexibility in their vendor relationships.
• Organizations indicate openness to changing providers for nearly 60% of their current technologies, suggesting a market where vendor performance and value proposition are under constant scrutiny.
• "Senior managers often think about technology budgets in terms of return on investment, including efficiencies gained, processes improved, and risk avoided," Tsai said. "But they should also think about the crucial human element — no modern company can function without the support of IT professionals."

Major Moves Inside the Industry

Story by James Walker

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.

Key Points:

• The global data center market is projected to reach nearly $500 billion by 2029, driven by investment in AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure, according to?research from law firm?DLA Piper.?
• In a survey of 176 senior executives on the topic of data center investment opportunities, most expressed confidence about the sector’s future, with 70% of respondents predicting increased?investment?in data centers in the next two years.?
• On Wednesday (December 4), Meta announced a $10 billion data center near the city of Monroe in northeast Louisiana. The four million square foot facility will be Meta’s largest data center in the world. Construction is expected to continue through 2030.?
• Elsewhere, 英伟达 ’s founder and Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang agreed to open an?AI?research and development center in Vietnam?as the company steps up its presence in Southeast Asia.?
• The project, along with a Viettel Group data center that uses Nvidia technology, will help develop advanced AI in the country, Vietnam’s Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said at a signing ceremony in Hanoi this week.?
• In Europe, Yondr Group handed over the first 20 MW of its 40 MW data center project in Bischofsheim, just south of Frankfurt, Germany.?The milestone marks Yondr’s second successful handover in Europe this year, following the opening of its first building at the company’s 100 MW London campus in July.??

Dear Reader: A Note from the Editor-in-Chief

Story by Wendy Schuchart

Informa TechTarget is accelerating growth by uniting Industry Dive , Informa Tech and TechTarget to form a leading B2B media company, delivering insights through 300+ journalists and comprehensive coverage across 30+ technology segments and 45+ industry verticals.

Chip Watch: Commentary of the Week

Story by Gerrit De Vynck

Key Points:

• The United States will give chipmaker 英特尔 nearly $11 billion in federal grants to increase production of high-end semiconductors at American factories, as the Biden White House rushes to allocate money set aside for an ambitious tech stimulus before Donald Trump takes office.
• Intel will receive $7.86 billion to build out its core manufacturing facilities, plus an additional $3 billion that was announced in September for projects with the Defense Department.
• The awards are part of the Chips and Science Act, a law passed in 2022 with strong bipartisan support that allocates $52 billion in direct grants and potentially billions more in tax credits to incentivize tech companies to build more computer chip factories in America.
• The finalization of the massive grant underlines the importance of Intel to US efforts to build up a domestic chipmaking industry.
• The vast majority of US chip companies, including stock market hotshot 英伟达 , do not manufacture their own chips, instead relying on factories in Taiwan and in particular the market leader 台积公司 .

Latest Major Tech Layoff Announcements

Original Story by Jessica C. Davis, Updated by Brandon Taylor

Key Points:

• As COVID drove everyone online, tech companies hired like crazy. Now we are hitting the COVID tech bust as tech giants shed jobs by the thousands.
• Updated December 5, 2024 with layoff announcements from Lightspeed Commerce, AlphaSense, Ola Electric and Headspace.
• Check back regularly for updates to InformationWeek's IT job layoffs tracker.

WATCH ON-DEMAND!

“A Handbook for Infrastructure Security & Resiliency”

An archived LIVE virtual event from November 7:

Presented by Network Computing and Data Center Knowledge

In this archived keynote session, Alapan Arnab, vCISO and consultant for cybersecurity and resilience of Apedemak Consulting, explores methods to keep operations online in the face of any challenge.

This segment was part of our live virtual event titled, “A Handbook for Infrastructure Security & Resiliency” The event was presented by Network Computing and Data Center Knowledge on November 7, 2024.

Watch the archived “Handbook for Infrastructure Security & Resiliency” live virtual event for more insight.

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