AI demand & energy reduction to shape data centre trends by 2024

Vertiv, a leading provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced that the rise in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and the paramount need to reduce energy consumption are the two major factors influencing the data centre industry ahead of 2024. With the spread of AI technology intensifying, along with the sustainability issues and infrastructure complications involved with AI-centred computing, these factors are anticipated to reshape the 2024 data centre trends.

Vertiv CEO Giordano (Gio) Albertazzi noted that the effects of AI on data centre densities and power requirements have become a dominant subject in the industry. "Finding ways to help customers both support the demand for AI and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is a significant challenge requiring new collaborations between data centres, chip and server manufacturers, and infrastructure providers," Albertazzi said.

The firm's experts predict several trends for 2024. Firstly, the escalating demand for AI applications is putting pressure on organisations to significantly alter their operations. Current facilities are not equipped for the high-density computing required for AI, posing notable challenges. In response to this, organisations are anticipated to realise that partial measures are insufficient, and are expected to turn towards new construction or large-scale retrofits which drastically change their power and cooling infrastructure.

In addition, new energy storage technologies are starting to show their potential, with the ability to intelligently integrate with grids and reduce generator use. This trend is expected to be increasingly evident in 2024, with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) evolving to complement 'bring your own power' (BYOP) models, fulfilling the necessary capacity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness needed to support AI-led demand.

Flexibility is a priority for enterprises into 2024, as they diversify investments and deployment strategies. This, according to Vertiv, is due to grappling with how to best deploy and apply AI technology while still achieving sustainability targets.

In terms of security, the ongoing mass transition to cloud services puts pressure on providers to increase their capacity quickly in order to support the demand for AI and high-performance computing. Security regulations at regional and national levels may pose additional complexities in regards to security.

Paul Churchill, vice president and general manager at Vertiv Asia stated, "Across Asia, we're seeing organisations ramp up their investments, realigning their strategies towards harnessing and integrating AI technology. Vertiv is focused on helping our customers manage the challenges of AI integration, supporting them with our breadth of solutions from modular solutions to predictive maintenance services, recognizing the value AI brings towards achieving more efficient and sustainable IT systems."