2023 will be remembered as the year AI entered the public eye in full force. Understanding that this game-changing technology has enormous potential to dramatically improve business efficiencies, enterprises want in.
IT leaders will soon face challenges in managing their organization's technology infrastructure to meet AI's data storage and computing needs. Building an AI-ready architecture requires future-proofing IT infrastructure, a challenge that entails a data-centric strategy.
But these challenges aren't without opportunities. Successful IT leaders will increasingly use an open data platform to their benefit. They'll look to new solutions to overcome infrastructure complexity and limitations in their existing data centers. As a result, they'll be able to harness the power of AI for cost-efficient innovation.
The challenges IT leaders must overcome to craft a future-proof data architecture
Artificial intelligence adoption
Seventy-three percent of U.S. companies adopted AI in at least some areas of their business in 2023, according to a PWC survey. Addressing Generative AI (GenAI) in particular, the survey predicted that while 2024 will see many companies finding “attractive ROI from GenAI, only a few will succeed in achieving transformative value from it.”
Such a prediction isn't surprising given AI’s immense infrastructure needs. Algorithms such as recommender engines run on vast amounts of high-density computing power. A data center model with colocation, allowing for occasional bursting into the cloud, will help both the training and inferencing needs for AI models.
Hybrid IT complexity
To scale AI in 2024, IT leaders will increasingly adopt hybrid multi-cloud infrastructure. In pursuit of innovation, enterprises will leverage a variety of infrastructures – data centers, and public, and private clouds. Such a pick-what’s-best-for-the-job approach leads to increasing infrastructure complexity. Frequently, networking systems become so disjointed and complex that they become difficult to operate and maintain.
Data center interconnection challenges
Disparate centers of data are, in turn, attracting more data, leading to Data Gravity. Localization needs and a Hybrid IT infrastructure are creating problems related to data interconnection.
Complex systems require an abstraction layer to move data around to fulfill fast-changing computing needs. IT needs interconnection between workflow participants, applications, multiple clouds, and ecosystems, all from a single interface, without getting bogged down by the complexity wall.
Sustainability initiatives
Increasing global decarbonization requirements means data centers must address energy consumption caused by high-density computing. Currently, enterprise energy needs are growing significantly faster than the available energy supply.
In IDC’s December 2022 Future of Enterprise Resiliency and Spending Survey, Wave 11, 71 percent of respondents worldwide indicated that they expect to accelerate IT spending on energy-efficient initiatives because of potential energy shortages. This has led to a growing call for sustainable high-performance computing operations, including using liquid-cooling technologies.
Global growth and data localization
Global variations in data handling and privacy legislation require that data remain restricted to specific geographical regions. Such laws aren't the only drivers for data localization. The increasing use of AI at the edge, the source of the data, is driving demand for low-latency operations, which in turn requires localized data storage and processing. Concerns about proprietary algorithms being stored in the public cloud are also leading companies to move to a Hybrid IT infrastructure that can harness the best of all worlds.
What goes into the data center of the future?
While IT leaders evaluate infrastructure needs, there are five aspects they should consider:
- High-density colocation
As enterprise appetite for data grows exponentially, the data center of the future will need colocation providers like Digital Realty that can deliver high-density deployments and manage data workflows. Having these infrastructure assets in a modular format will enable easier scaling for faster AI deployments. - Cloud and Hybrid IT solutions
Data demands will drive the need for Hybrid IT infrastructure that can scale up and out flexibly with modular components made for rapid deployment. The data center of tomorrow will deliver orchestration techniques through an open and secure platform like PlatformDIGITAL to decrease infrastructure complexity. It'll be about using repeatable solutions without redundancy, through one holistic orchestration layer, whether you’re building out one cabinet, a cage, or 100 megawatts. - Interconnection services
When data drives an enterprise, you can’t afford to have it locked away. Interconnectivity between data, no matter where it is located, will drive the data center of tomorrow. AI will drive a different interconnection model between various nodes in a Hybrid IT infrastructure world. Adding connectivity through services like ServiceFabric will allow enterprises to leverage best-in-breed IT infrastructure without hitting the complexity wall. - Extensive global footprint
Data localization laws and parameters about where to process data will increase the need for infrastructure that's spread out over geographies. Look for a platform provider with the ability to deliver these components in key markets. Digital Realty, for example, has footprints in 25+ markets across North America, EMEA, and the Asia-Pacific region. - Sustainable facilities
Look for partners who can help you develop and build sustainable infrastructure and offer a range of colocation options, all focused on sustainability. Digital Realty, for example, uses innovative Air-assisted liquid cooling (AALC) technologies as one of the ways in which it addresses sustainability requirements.
A global data center platform: The must-have IT infrastructure
A platform that can deploy and optimize IT and AI architectures, and engineer deployments in virtual environments is key to the data needs of tomorrow. Digital Realty’s PlatformDIGITAL global data center solution executes deployments in metros and regions across the world and its Hybrid IT infrastructure caters to processing needs ranging from massive dataset-heavy AI projects to more run-of-the-mill data tasks.
Orchestration, configuration, and automation are table stakes in running the data center of tomorrow. This is what will enable businesses to leverage AI and be both creative and innovative so that they can gain a competitive edge. An open, dynamic, and centralized data platform will serve as the hub for seamless, sustainable, and real-time data-driven processing.
With these solutions, enterprises can harness data and turbocharge their AI projects today and into the future.
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