Data Center News Roundup: The Next ChatGPT and Google Shake-Up

With data center news moving faster than ever, we want to make it easy for data center 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.

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1. Elon Musk Flip-Flops, Wants to Build the Next ChatGPT

After condemning the use of generative AI and calling for a pause in its development in March, Elon Musk has now changed his tune. On Wednesday, Musk announced xAI, an AI startup with the goal of “understand[ing] the true nature of the universe.” Ambitious!

2. Will Generative AI Leak Your Company’s Secrets?

While Musk may have flipped his stance, not everyone is on board with generative artificial intelligence. A recent report from The Washington Post details the caution many companies are taking toward AI tools — over fears of security and privacy leaks. With such a new, unregulated technology, especially one that operates in a “black box,” it’s unclear how valid these fears are.

3. Construction Begins on El Capitan Supercomputer

After five years of planning, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has finally begun installation of its El Capitan supercomputer. Planned for a 2024 debut, the 2-exaflop system, powered by HPE Cray EX Series hardware and AMD Instinct MI300A processors, will likely become the world’s fastest supercomputer.

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4. Shake-Up in Google Cloud, AWS Leadership

Urs Hölzle, who led infrastructure at Google Cloud, is stepping down from his executive role. Hölzle, who will move into an advisory position at Google, will be replaced by Chris Vonderhaar. Vonderhaar, the former VP of AWS Data Center Community, left Amazon in May under somewhat questionable circumstances.

5. Virginia NIMBYs Fail to Delay Data Center Votes

On Tuesday, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors rejected a proposal that would prevent outgoing elected officials from voting on major land-use decisions, including data center construction, dealing a blow to those looking to stall development.

Other Great Data Center Reads on DCK

5 Key Steps for Successful Data Center Consolidation. Consolidating your data center can save money, increase efficiency, and reduce risk … if you follow a clear and organized plan. In this article, you’ll find the five key steps to include in your plan alongside tips for optimizing the impact of your consolidation at each step of the process.

When Did 'Offline' Become the New Luxury? Bill Kleyman reflects on how our increasingly connected and digital world impacts the data center industry on both individual and global levels.

What to Consider When Choosing a SASE Vendor. Today, there is a wide variety of available SASE solution providers. As many organizations are shifting to this new cloud architecture model, it’s important to know what to look for in a SASE vendor. In this guide, you’ll learn how to evaluate SASE providers — from support to application coverage to compliance.

That’s all for this week. Which of these stories is most important to you? Let us know in the comments below!