Data centers are the backbone of the Internet with a power density 100 times greater than a large commercial office building. They play a vital role in the storage and transport of our information, especially as we generate more and more data. By the end of this year, one-third of all data will pass through the cloud and, by 2025, we’ll have generated over 175 zettabytes of data.

While data centers typically have a life span of nine years, most data centers are considered obsolete by the time they’ve reached seven. It’s no wonder then that data center operators are looking for better ways to upgrade their facilities. To do that, it helps to envision what the future of data centers could look like.

How are data centers evolving?

Data centers are evolving in several ways, specifically in terms of energy-efficiency, location, and storage. For a more in-depth look, here’s how data centers are currently operating, how they plan to evolve, and what they could look like in the future.

  • Energy-efficiency. Currently, data centers are operating on air-based cooling where hot air is redirected away from the equipment to keep servers at the right temperature. About 80% of data centers are looking to install hot or cold aisle containment systems to reduce energy use. In the near future, data center operators will begin looking toward liquid-cooling alternatives to maintain facility temperatures. LDP Associates is a data center service that offers liquid-cooling for ultra-high dense server applications. Of course, liquid-cooling presents its own challenges and ought to be evaluated with a data center expert prior to installation to ensure it’s the right cooling system for your organization.
  • Location. Data centers are currently located near dense fiber-optic networks. However, data center operators are beginning to consider moving their facilities to areas where climates are cool and dry such as Nordic regions.
  • Storage. Up to 90% of storage device shipments to enterprises are hard disk drives (HHDs), which use magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital data. Data center operators are making the move toward solid-state drives (SSDs) that use integrated circuit assemblies to store data. Greater innovation with data storage could lead us toward a shift to liquid-state storage for greater storage capacity at a lower cost.

The future of data centers is one of energy-efficiency and greater operational capacity. But that doesn’t mean you need to wait for the future to begin operating more efficiently now. LDP Associates is the data center service you need to get your facility up and running the way you need it to.

LDP has the data center management software, data center maintenance services, and liquid-cooling alternatives you need to keep your facility running smoothly. For more information about our data center services, contact LDP Today.