What Should We Expect from Nuclear-Powered Data Centers?

Story by Bill Kleyman ????

Key Points:

• In the second quarter of 2023, Omdia estimated that 英伟达 shipped over 900 tons (1.8 million pounds) of H100 compute GPUs for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) use cases. You read that right – we’re now measuring GPU shipments by weight rather than by units sold.
• The amount of energy that generative AI?consumes?can be pretty staggering. A single 谷歌 search?can power a 100-watt light bulb for about 11 seconds. GPT-like instances?can be anywhere from 600 to 800 times more powerful than a single 谷歌 search.
• According to Bret Kugelmass , CEO of Last Energy , nuclear is not only the best way forward for the sector – it may be the only way: “The data center sector is an ideal application for onsite nuclear power. You have an industry that is growing as fast as development schedules and supply chains permit that is increasingly facing power supply constraints.
• Between this year and last year, per the AFCOM State of the Data Center report,?respondents?who have stated that they will utilize?or at the very least look at nuclear energy more than doubled to almost a quarter of respondents (21%, up from 10% last year).
• This year, at the AFCOM Data Center World event, Dr. Rian Bahran [ Rian Bahran, Ph.D. ], who currently serves as the assistant director for nuclear technology and strategy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), explored the dynamic changes in clean energy usage and the policies reshaping our world.
• In his keynote, Dr. Bahran dove into the critical role of nuclear technologies in bolstering energy grids, providing a stable and efficient power source that complements intermittent renewables like solar and wind. A highlight of his was the discussion on the intersection of nuclear energy with digital infrastructure.

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:

Inside the Red Hat Summit

Story by Wylie Wong

Key Points:

• At its Red Hat Summit in Denver, the company today (May 7) announced a new version of 红帽 OpenShift AI, a software platform for training, monitoring, and managing the lifecycle of AI/ML models and applications in a containerized Kubernetes environment on-premises and in the cloud.
• Red Hat also announced plans to expand its Lightspeed generative AI capabilities to its OpenShift Kubernetes container platform and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OS. To address a skills gap as hybrid cloud adoption grows, OpenShift Lightspeed can now assist IT administrators in autoscaling clusters in the public cloud.
• Analysts say the new version of Red Hat’s OpenShift AI and other software improvements across the company’s portfolio are significant and can drive further adoption. “It better positions Red Hat as a neutral, cloud-native platform player with a very focused eye on helping companies leverage AI – and generative AI in particular – in a very secure, (highly) performing, and easily governable manner,” says Bradley Shimmin , Omdia ’s chief analyst of AI and data analytics.
• Red Hat’s announcements today include partnerships with Pure Storage, Run:ai, Elastic and Stability AI, and the availability of Red Hat OpenShift on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Achieving Net-Zero

Story by Drew Robb

Key Points:

• Sustainability impacts the entire data center lifecycle: design, construction, procurement, operations, maintenance, and retirement of equipment and facilities. For some, the sheer extent of it can be overwhelming.
• Many companies have set sustainability targets for 2030. “Work is needed now if targets for 2030 are to be met,” Priyal Chheda , sustainability lead for architecture and interior design firm Corgan , said during Data Center World 2024, which took place last month in Washington, DC. “Instead of focusing on the difficulties, data center managers should look for opportunities for good return on investment via sustainability measures.”
• “Mass timber?can be a more sustainable alternative for some of the steel and concrete that goes into our buildings,” said Paul Shorthouse , an economic development expert who serves as managing director for?Circular Economy Leadership Canada. “It is safe, fire-resistant, of comparable strength, lighter weight, and can be disassembled and refurbished with relative ease or its value re-captured at the end of life.”?
• Data center operators in certain states and countries face growing regulatory efforts to curtail carbon emissions. These regulations are often based upon emerging metrics that aim to quantify carbon footprints and supply chain sustainability compliance.

Decommissioning the Data Center

Story by Chris Tozzi

Key Points:

• Sooner or later, all of the equipment inside a data center reaches the end of its useful life.
• To be clear, data center decommissioning does not typically refer to shutting down an entire data center (although if that's what you're doing, decommissioning is one part of the process). The purpose of decommissioning is simply to remove some of the infrastructure inside a data center.
• Data center decommissioning can happen for a variety of reasons, including: equipment upgrades, moving to the cloud, data center consolidation.

• This downloadable Decommissioning a Data Center Checklist has been curated with your needs at the forefront – whether you're an experienced data center professional navigating the complexities of decommissioning, or someone new to the process seeking a clear and concise roadmap.?

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:

• Telcos and data center operators in Brazil have joined the efforts to assist those impacted by one of the worst floods in the country for 80 years.?Amid ongoing safety concerns,?Scala Data Centers?said it took the difficult decision to?temporarily suspend operations?at its SPOAPA01 data center in Porto Alegre.?
• Data centers took center stage in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry’s market outlook for 2024, amid stabilized interest rates and growing investment opportunities. DLA Piper’s annual?Real Estate State of the Market Survey?(PDF) highlights a notable shift in sentiment, with 37% of CRE leaders expressing bullish views – a stark contrast to the 86% bearish sentiment observed in 2023.?
• On the subject of real estate, several new data center developments have been announced over the past week.?Meta Platforms?is planning to open an?$800 million facility in Montgomery, Alabama that will support 100 jobs and complement the company’s existing data center in Huntsville.?
• The US General Services Administration has closed its?auction?for the decommissioned?Cheyenne Supercomputer.??As?we?reported?last 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.??

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 cra, zy. Now we are hitting the COVID tech bust as tech giants shed jobs by the thousands.
• Updated May 10, 2024 with layoff announcements from Vacasa , PrepLadder , Simpl , Brilliant Smart Home , and Motional .
• Check back regularly for updates to InformationWeek 's IT job layoffs tracker.

This is just a taste of what’s going on. If you want the whole scoop, then register for one of our email newsletters,?but only if you’re going to read it.?We want to improve the sustainability of editorial operations, so we don’t want to send you newsletters that are just going to sit there unopened. If you're a subscriber already, please make sure Mimecast and other inbox bouncers know that we’re cool and they should let us through.

Our bi-weekly LinkedIn newsletters arrive on Saturdays, so keep your eyes peeled for the top stories you may have missed between now and then.