The Ships, and the Shipwrecks

April 30, 2023

As the digital infrastructure community from around the globe converged in Monaco for Datacloud Global Congress, the topics were much of the same (sustainability), but the realizations of where we’re at now, where we are going, and the feasibility of how we are going to get there, clashed onstage, and off.

It was clear that the intersection of the challenges, and opportunities, regarding sustainability met the reality of legacy players and the pace of disruptors and innovators.

In the book, “The Seventh Sense” by Joshua Cooper Ramo, he provides two concepts, and what I’ve found to be the ongoing themes constantly being navigated by the data center industry when it comes to sustainability. First, is the battle between the ‘Aristocrats’ and the ‘Technocrats’ – the legacy players and the disruptors. The second concept, also brought to light by the book, comes from famed French philosopher, Paul Virilio – “When you invent the ship, you invent the shipwreck. When you invent the plane, you also invent the plane crash.”

Sustainability: The Battle of Aristocrats and Technocrats

“We are not being forced to move yet (fully implement sustainable requirements and technology), and it’s going to cost a lot to make these changes and meet requirements.” – But regulation is coming; ask friends in the EU.  Another executive and board member said, “There are massive businesses whose models are built around providing products and components for how data centers are built today. How can they responsibly sustain their businesses, employees, and shareholder value if they are forced to adapt as quicky as the market is asking?” – Unfortunately, they may not make it.

The Technocrats are, of course, gung ho. Armed with data from early adopters and their proof of concept(s) that show a significant reduction of costs and increase of efficiency, aligned with sustainable requirements, feel the time is now – But they aren’t concerned with the shipwrecks of their competitors; they’d prefer the market burn the ships and fail forward.

For example, Heat Reuse. When data centers were being built, this concept was largely not considered. However, with the exponential increase of compute load and the ability of products/components to operate at a higher heat and energy capacity, Heat Reuse took center stage on one panel. One side, said, “We have the ability to do it, and it’s being done today.” The other, said, “Can we kill this?” Both are valid points. Most data centers were built with two things in mind, affordable land (and the opportunity to expand those sites) combined with reliable power and network connectivity. Meaning, the historical nature of where DCs were/are built and their proximity to municipalities or nearby communities to provide centralized heat, is not feasible. Yet, this way of thinking would help offset carbon output and upcycle a byproduct in demand, whether it be for heating homes, manufacturing, agriculture, and other consumable processes.  

Keeping with the Heat Reuse example, again, the intersection of data centers and utility collided. “We need to all come to the table to figure it out.” – But who owns what? Who supports the infrastructure? Where are the resources going to come from? Who is going to share IP? – At the end of the day, it all comes down to execution.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of companies green washing, or in discussions, and very few are meeting the pace of change to fully align with their climate change and sustainability goals. So, what if one company did? What if all companies did at one time?

Sustainability: The Ships, and the Shipwrecks

The good news is, there are bodies at work, like the Infrastructure Masons Climate Accord, and there are solutions on the horizon, some of which I’ve continue to see emerge, and were on display at Datacloud Global Congress. Both the ship and the shipwreck(s) are being considered today and will be for the foreseeable future in digital infrastructure.

Existing and pipelined infrastructure is getting smarter, and smaller, more sustainably nimble Modular Data Centers (MDCs) are coming into focus. Cooling technologies, like liquid cooling and immersion cooling are at the forefront of discussion. The materials, products, and power are being accounted for and integrated more holistically now.

The largest players that have thrived on a culture of being disruptors themselves at one time, and perhaps accounting for looming regulation because of their globally connected businesses, are moving the sustainability needle. They move the markets. They are grinding out the sustainability frameworks and metrics. And the few first dominos have fallen for them. But like any new technology or industry disruption, there will be shipwrecks. There will be casualties. I think we can all agree though, the future is bright.

Sustainability: What/WHO is next?

Arguably more important than what is next is, who is next. “The change is generational” – From the Diversity, Equity, and inclusion (DE&I) workgroups during the iMasons chapter meeting to the conversations I’ve had with fellow peers and younger generations, in and outside of the DC industry, change is coming. The younger demographics, who will inevitably be the future decision makers are going to help with the transition to sustainability.

However, there is a lot of boots-on-the-ground, dirty, gritty work that needs to be done to attract the next generation of digital infrastructure builders. Where I come from, in marketing and sales, I have always kept it simple with a three (3) step framework to capture a market. Awareness. Interest. Conversion.

The awareness is coming along, but is still a laggard when compared to well qualified candidates out of college that have dreams to build the newest software or rockets; yes, we compete at the highest level of the skills spectrum.

With awareness comes interest. The “Ah-ha” moment when a young person realizes where their Roblox server lived (you have to have kids or be under 11 for that to hit), or how exactly their social media put together a memorial video of their graduation or grandmother’s birthday, is when the interest grows stronger. In my opinion, the 4th Industrial Revolution will increase awareness and interest organically.

Conversion now, on the other hand, takes work. It is community and connection. Opportunity. Reliability. Security. The silver lining of the data center industry is that all of these are table stakes, but we’ll need to continue to open financial and knowledge access for young people.

Conclusion

Disclaimer: It is only fair to give grace to those that came before, and to understand that this is a generational mindest and movement. It will not happen over night.