In the wild world of high-frequency trading, success is measured in nanoseconds.
For the cover of issue 54 of the DCD Magazine, we take a look at how the flash boys have been replaced by flash toys, all focused on doing one thing: Making money faster than anyone else.
Direct lines of high-speed cables, microwave towers, and specialized FPGAs are all being built to squeeze out precious fractions of a second as fortunes are made and lost in the time it takes to read this sentence.
The big question
Traders aren't the only ones making money. The AI boom has been undeniably good for data centers - but how long can it last?
As Kao Data gears up for the largest expansion in the company's history, we chat to CEO Doug Loewe about how to avoid over-extending and ending up in trouble when the AI hype train starts to slow. It's impossible to predict how dramatic any fall will be, but it is possible - and prudent - to insulate yourself from any collapse.
The UK's comeback
There's a new government in charge, bolding promising to slightly reverse a decade of austerity.
Key to their plan to get the economy chugging is a concerted pitch to data center companies. But can they overcome grid and NIMBY challenges?
The nuclear family
The Department of Energy is best known in this industry for its giant supercomputers.
But the department also has a vast scientific portfolio, significant regulatory demands, and a terrifying nuclear arsenal. We chat to the DOE's CIO about managing all of this, and more.
Talking telco
Helios has been on a tower build-out binge. Now, the CEO tells us, the company is ready to slow down.
We chat about how the Africa-focused telco is looking to monetize what it has, including with Edge and colocation sites.
Elsewhere, we visit Virgin Media O2's Slough DC.
Beyond Loudoun
Virginia is filling up.
The data center capital was already struggling to keep up with demands, but now the rise of the megacampus is putting new pressures on the state. We profile different counties in Virginia to see when and where data centers will live.
Plus more
A cooling supplement, novel chips, ground stations & more!
We hope you enjoy this issue of the DCD Magazine, the largest publication dedicated to the digital infrastructure sector.