Data Center News Roundup: H2 Reports Released, Heat Waves Add to Industry Woes

With data center news moving faster than ever, we want to make it easy for industry professionals to cut through the noise and find the most important stories of the week. 

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. 

To keep up to date with all things data centers, subscribe to the Data Center Knowledge newsletter to get content straight to your inbox. 

Summer Market Reports 

With the second half of the year in full swing, a flurry of data center industry reports hit the wires this past week. 

A new study from Moody’s Ratings highlights the dramatic increase in data center demand, primarily fueled by advancements in AI and ongoing digital transformation. The report followed similar findings from BlackRock earlier this month. 

Omdia, meanwhile, revealed that it expects the market for prefabricated modular and micro data centers will reach $11.7 billion by 2027, fueled by the need to speed up data center builds in the wake of the AI boom. 

On the data center hardware front, Dell’Oro Group said the liquid cooling market was “set to go mainstream” and top $15 billion over the next five years, but the worldwide Radio Access Network (RAN) market faces a downturn. 

Related:Energy Efficiency Not Enough in Push for Data Center Sustainability

According to a report from CBRE, emerging data center markets in Asia-Pacific are driving growth in the region despite power shortages and surging AI demand. 

Can’t Stand the Heat? 

Also this week, we took a closer look at how heat waves and AI challenges are putting pressure on data centers. 

Extreme heat waves have become a significant challenge for data centers worldwide, causing overheating and potential outages. With AI’s growing power demands, cooling these facilities becomes even more challenging. 

In short, data centers are now adopting advanced technologies like liquid cooling and nickel-zinc batteries to meet these demands. These innovations reduce the infrastructure’s environmental impact and improve power usage efficiency. Additionally, AI can help optimize cooling systems and predict maintenance needs, ensuring smoother operations. 

Check out the full article to discover why, as AI continues to grow, data centers must evolve and implement strategies to address these emerging challenges.

Going Up

In data center design and construction news, DataBank has broken ground on a third data center at its campus in Ashburn, Virginia. The new facility will bring 20 MW of power and 70,000 sq.ft of “HPC-ready” data center space to the already constrained Northern Virginia market. 

Related:New Data Center Developments: July 2024

In Texas, Crusoe Energy Systems said it is building a 200 MW data center at the Lancium Clean Campus outside the city of Abilene.  

Yondr Group has completed the first 20 MW phase of its data center building in London, UK, marking what it says is a “major milestone” for its planned 100 MW+ data center campus. 

Delivered in under two years, the 30 MW building, located in Slough, West London, is Yondr’s first completed data center in the UK. The second building is already under construction on site, which will add a further 30 MW of capacity, the operator said. 

Meanwhile, Spanish REIT Merlin Properties said it will hold a share sale to raise capital to fund the expansion of its data center business. 

In Asia, Telekom Malaysia and Nxera, the regional data center arm of Singtel’s Digital InfraCo unit, held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new data center campus in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. 

The news came as Equinix announced its planned entry into the Philippines with the acquisition of three data centers from Total Information Management, a regional technology solutions provider. 

Olympic Ambitions 

And finally, with the Paris Summer Olympics opening ceremony due to take place later today (July 26), we discovered how an Equinix data center was playing a supporting role in the event through an innovative heat reuse project.  

Related:Top Data Center Outage Trends and Strategies for Reducing Risk

Helping the venue hit its sustainability targets, some of the heat generated by Equinix’s PA10 data center in Paris is being used to warm swimming pools at the Paris Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis.  

Read the full article for a visual tour of the facility and catch up on some of the latest data center heat reuse projects around the world. 

Other Great Reads on DCK This Week 

Data Center ETFs: An Introductory Guide to Boosting Your Portfolio. Data center ETFs can help diversify your investments. Learn how they work, their benefits, and how to go about choosing the right fund for your portfolio. 

CrowdStrike Blames Crash on Buggy Security Content Update. CrowdStrike vows to provide customers with greater control over the delivery of future content updates. 

Data Centers Must Evolve to Meet Growing Power Density Demands. Data center modernization is crucial as AI drives demand for higher power density, writes Tod Higinbotham. 

AI Boom to Slow Pace of US Emissions Reduction, Report Says. The US’s current trajectory to 2030 and beyond suggests the country is off track for its mid-century emissions reduction goal, according to the report.