surrounding government Countries around the world are suspending reviews of permits to build new data centers, citing the strain that huge demand for electricity is putting on national power grids.
So far, there is no sign that similar measures are being planned, despite the proliferation of data centers within South Africa, particularly in Gauteng.
In recent years, Ireland, Germany, Singapore and China have placed limits on the development of new data centers to ease demand-side pressures and meet environmental sustainability goals, the Financial Times reported. . report (Paywall) Monday.
According to a recent report, “Energy-intensive data centers, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrencies are key new sources of increased electricity consumption, which could double by 2026.” report By the International Energy Agency (IEA).
According to the FT report, among the new data center projects most at risk of cancellation are those in Ireland, which has historically been a good location for tech giants such as Metaplatform, Google and Microsoft. They have been attracted to the country's low taxes and easy access to high-capacity undersea cables to transfer data around the world.
In 2021, the Irish Utilities Regulatory Commission updated the requirements for allowing data centers to connect to the national electricity grid. The new rules will take into account whether there is sufficient grid capacity at the proposed site location and whether the applicant has the flexibility to reduce electricity consumption if required.
environment
Beyond concerns about power consumption, jurisdictions such as Germany have noted a stronger focus on the environmental impact of data centers. As a result, requirements regarding the contribution of renewable energy to the grid and waste heat recycling have been incorporated into the legislation for permit approval. There are also limits on the number of permits approved for residential areas.
Lawmakers see this limit as a way to curb the rapid growth in power demand from data centers, but given the speed of global digitalization, the growth of data centers and the power these facilities consume will continue to grow. It will continue to increase rapidly in the future.
“We expect global electricity consumption from data centers, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence to be in the range of 620TWh to 1,050TWh in 2026, with a base case demand of 460TWh to just over 800TWh in 2022. This corresponds to an additional 160 TWh to 590 TWh of electricity consumption. The electricity demand in 2026 compared to 2022 will be approximately the same as adding at least one Sweden and at most one Germany. equivalent,” the IEA report said.
According to the report, computing typically accounts for about 40% of a data center's total power consumption. With the rise of compute-intensive use cases such as AI and crypto mining, power demand from a single data center will increase by a factor of 10 if a facility is fully implemented with AI. There is a possibility.
This calculation is based on the average power demand of a typical Google search (0.3Wh of electricity) compared to OpenAI's ChatGPT, which uses 2.9Wh per user request. According to the IEA, almost 10 TWh of additional electricity is required per year, accounting for 9 billion searches per day.
According to the FT, the surge in demand is influencing renewed interest in nuclear energy in Europe and the Americas. In February 2023, 11 EU member states led by France formed an alliance with the goal of adding 50 GW of nuclear capacity to the region by 2050, according to the report. report By Euractic.
according to post According to the website DataCentre Knowledge, the U.S. government has awarded more than $600 million to companies involved in developing small modular reactors, a new generation of nuclear power plants that are safer, cleaner, and more efficient with smaller geographic footprints. provided funding. Generates up to 300MW of power.
However, governments are not the only ones pursuing nuclear energy strategies. Last May, Microsoft announced a power purchase agreement with Helion, a fusion startup backed by Sam Altman. Helion's first fusion power plant is scheduled for his 2028, and unlike previous fission-based reactors, fusion-based reactors promise high energy output with zero carbon emissions .
In the South African context, the energy crisis poses a daunting challenge for companies looking to build data centres. On the one hand, the increasing demand for digital services justifies the business case for adding infrastructure. On the other hand, ongoing energy shortages and uncertainty over the future stability of South Africa's energy supply pose an element of risk that impacts long-term planning.
Fortunately, these challenges have not yet deterred investment. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced it would build a new data center in Centurion, near Pretoria, in addition to the five data centers it already operates in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“[The energy deficit] “Although there may be greater reliance on backup power, which increases costs, data centers typically have preferential access to the grid, just like other high-priority industrial applications.” said John Tullett, senior research manager at International Data Corporation.
Large commercial data centers in South Africa typically consume 12-20MW of power. Like their international facilities, local facilities are becoming sophisticated in their approach to power usage efficiency (PUE) and the use of the right mix of energy sources.
“South Africa’s new cloud data centers are built to the same standards as hyperscale facilities in other parts of the world. They are focused on reducing PUE, and there is an increased focus on renewable energy sources. “We're working hard,” Tullett said.
read: Microsoft to build new data center in South Africa
Some data center operators in South Africa, including Vantage Data Centers, which recently built the first phase of its campus facility in the Midrand, have announced plans to feed renewable energy into the grid from other parts of South Africa. — (c)2024 NewsCentral Media
