“ When data centres have the right infrastructure , automation can really help them to thrive ”
COLOCATION
“ When data centres have the right infrastructure , automation can really help them to thrive ”
THOMAS HARRER TECHNOLOGY EMEA ,
IBM and one of the most important benefits could be keeping the lights on when , in many senses , nobody ’ s home .
Back in 2016 , researchers at the University of Pisa ( also featured in this month ’ s issue ) predicted that a world which is saturated with hyperscale data centres would need to be a fully automated one − if operators expect to have any hope of managing the sheer number of issues that such large facilities generate on a daily basis . This , mind you , was released before the effects of the industry-wide skill shortage and the rapid acceleration of global digital transformations due to COVID-19 were even a blip on the radar .
Today , the idea of a lights-out data centre is getting more common , but the phenomenon is mostly constrained to smaller edge facilities . Using a combination of software to automate the digital aspects of a facility and robots ( like the repurposed Roombas that IBM started using back in 2013 to monitor temperature in its racks ) may paint an accurate picture of data centre design and operation by the start of the next decade .
datacentremagazine . com 49