Data Center News Roundup: Foxconn’s Rise and India’s $100B Investment

In this week’s top data center news, Omdia forecasts Foxconn’s rise as the largest server vendor, hyperscale spending surges, and India attracts massive investments.

James Walker, Senior Editor

December 20, 2024

3 Min Read
Data Center News Roundup
Source: Alamy

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.

End-of-Year Data Center Research 

As the data center industry wraps up 2024 ahead of the winter break, research and analysis firms have released their final insights for the year. Key highlights from the past week include: 

  • Hyperscale capex surged by 82% in the third quarter of 2023, and AI accelerator revenues soared by 130% in the same period, according to new research from Dell’Oro Group.

  • India’s data center market is set to receive $100 billion in investments over the coming years, according to CBRE.

Top Stories in 2024

Along with the latest research reports, we've also started publishing our year-end coverage, reflecting on the biggest trends and challenges shaping the data center industry. Get the full overview: 

Related:2024’s Biggest Data Center Construction Stories: A Year in Review

AI Outage 

OpenAI reported a widespread outage on December 11 affecting all its services, including ChatGPT, API, and Sora. The downtime, lasting for more than four hours, was caused by an issue stemming from the deployment of a new telemetry service, the AI organization said in an incident post-mortem this week. 

Related:Planning Cools Again on Slower Data Center Growth

OpenAI has since outlined measures to prevent future incidents, including more robust phased rollouts, fault injection testing, and enhanced emergency access protocols. 

Quantum Pilot Projects 

The US National Science Foundation launched six pilot projects to bridge scientific gaps between current quantum technological capabilities and what is needed to fully harness quantum properties of energy and matter for practical uses.

The six projects join five others that the agency announced in August. Collectively, they are supported by the NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory initiative – an ambitious effort to accelerate the development of quantum technologies. 

Each pilot project will receive $1 million over 12 months to create real-world testing environments that can further the progress of quantum-related technologies.

Other Great Reads in DCK This Week 

Biden Drafting Plan for Construction of AI Data Centers on Federal Land. A government plan to fast-track AI data centers on federal land could reshape US tech infrastructure – but environmental concerns loom. 

Altman-Backed Oklo Inks Deal for 12 GW of Nuclear Power. Oklo’s partnership with Switch aims to supply 12 GW of nuclear power, highlighting the growing role of advanced reactors in meeting data center demand. 

Related:Somalian Internet Provider Eyes Green Data Centers for AI

AI Data Centers Pose Regulatory Challenge, Jeopardizing Climate Goals – Study. A new research paper calls for binding renewable energy and efficiency targets for data centers amid the AI boom. 

Broadcom’s ‘Nvidia Moment’ Has Arrived. Now It Needs to Deliver. After a massive rally, analysts say Broadcom must prove it can sustain AI growth and live up to lofty expectations. 

Data Sovereignty: Where Is Your Data Held and Who Has the Right to Access It? Data sovereignty demands a re-evaluation of data handling practices, security protocols, and compliance strategies, writes Innovec's Iain Wham. 

About the Author

James Walker

Senior Editor, Data Center Knowledge

James Walker is the Senior Editor of Data Center Knowledge. He has nearly two decades of experience writing for business and technology publications, with a focus on translating technical issues to make them more accessible and engaging.

Before joining DCK, James was editor of The Daily Swig, an award-winning cybersecurity news website, and his work has been featured in The Times and BBC Online, among other publications.

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