DATA CENTRES
WATCH
NOW increase in the cloud data centre space , this argument may become challenged .”
Bidgood considers the biggest area of IT spending to be on hosting infrastructures in data centres . “ This is often around 40 % of the typical IT budget ,” he says . “ In this 40 %, the power and cooling costs of these centres are proportionally the biggest part . Even before the typical maintenance : network , security costs , and personnel costs .
“ Whilst these costs vary hugely from setup to setup , it is important that systems are hosted in such a way as to maximise power , cooling , and space efficiencies , while also ensuring the hardware is up to date to minimise demand on these facilities . Hyperconvergence of compute , storage , network , and security into a single consolidated hardware platform should be utilised as much as possible to minimise footprint .”
An increase in demand requires innovation According to research by Clifford Chance , the pandemic fueled the growth of the global data centre market and is estimated to reach € 235bn ( US $ 254bn ) by 2026 with a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate of 4.5 %. The ever-increasing demand for data centres means that these facilities must constantly innovate to keep up with the changing demands and trends of the digital age .
This includes investing in new technologies , such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence ( AI ), which White believes has already made its mark in 2023 . “ AI has already had an impact on the major
68 February 2024