Once upon a time in the vibrant land of Ireland, data centres emerged as the backbone of the nation's digital economy. Minister Simon Coveney, in his enlightening speech at the Data Centres Ireland 2023 Conference and Exhibition, emphasized the pivotal role of these centres in shaping Ireland's future. Not only do they enhance daily lives and create business opportunities, but they also contribute to climate action, aligning with the government's commitment to sustainability.
Ireland has successfully attracted major technology companies, positioning itself as the second-largest exporter of computer and IT services worldwide. The government's National Digital Strategy serves as a guiding light, driving the digital transition across society and the economy. Data centres, with their transformative capabilities, play a crucial role in supporting various sectors and facilitating the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The European Union's Data Strategy has recognized the immense potential of data and technologies, introducing legislation to unlock their power. Minister Coveney addressed public perception around data centres, shedding light on their indirect employment generation and commitment to decarbonization. He emphasized the need for sustainable data centre development that aligns with energy and enterprise policy objectives, striking a balance between energy requirements and a secure, stable supply.
In the pursuit of a greener future, collaboration between industry, system operators, regulators, and the government is paramount. Together, they work tirelessly to achieve climate goals and increase renewable electricity on the grid. Minister Coveney concluded his speech by highlighting the importance of embracing digital technologies for economic progress and meeting the demands of a modern society.
Meanwhile, in another corner of Ireland, Minister Simon Harris, Secretary of State Michelle Donelan, and Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey made a groundbreaking announcement. €70 million in joint funding was allocated to create two new research centers, fostering collaboration between academics, industry, and policymakers from the Irish Government, UK Government, and Northern Ireland Government Departments.
This funding aims to address common challenges, particularly in the realms of food sustainability and climate change. The announcement came after the British and Irish Intergovernmental Conference and a bilateral discussion, symbolizing the unity and shared commitment to a better future. The Co-Centres program, spanning six years, will establish all-island research and innovation hubs, aligning with Ireland's vision of becoming a leading knowledge economy.
The research program will focus on critical areas such as sustainable food, food safety and integrity, nutrition and health, and food systems data modeling. By tackling these challenges head-on, the program aims to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, water degradation, and transform the food system for positive and sustainable change.
In this tale of innovation and collaboration, Ireland emerges as a beacon of hope, driving its digital and sustainable future forward. With data centres fueling the digital economy and research centers spearheading advancements in food sustainability and climate change, Ireland paves the way for a brighter tomorrow.
The demand for data worldwide is driving the growth of data centres, but it also poses challenges in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact. Currently, data centres consume 3% of the world's produced energy, and this percentage is expected to increase to 4% next year. By 2025, a 50% increase in the total electricity footprint of data centres is predicted, along with a 500% increase in generated data worldwide. However, the data centre sector is aware of the need to change and reduce its environmental impact. Schneider Electric proposes the concept of 'Electricity 4.0' to make data centre electrical infrastructure greener and smarter. Cooling is a key aspect of data centre energy consumption, and the use of artificial intelligence and liquid cooling can contribute to improving energy efficiency. Data centres must also take into account extreme weather conditions to avoid outages. Stack, a global data centre operator, focuses on sustainability by using 100% renewable energy and implementing water optimization and energy efficiency systems.
Microsoft's Project Natick has proven that underwater datacenters are feasible, reliable, and practical. The project deployed the Northern Isles datacenter 117 feet deep to the seafloor in spring 2018 and tested its performance and reliability for two years. The team found that the underwater datacenter had a significantly lower failure rate compared to land-based datacenters. Lessons learned from Project Natick are also informing Microsoft's datacenter sustainability strategy. The underwater datacenter concept has the potential to provide fast and smooth web surfing, video streaming, and game playing to coastal populations while saving energy. The project is considering scaling up underwater datacenters to power the full suite of Microsoft Azure cloud services.
Serial tech entrepreneur Bevan Slattery plans to build underwater robots to revive coral reefs with his new start-up PACER. The research center, based at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, will utilize artificial intelligence and underwater robots to attempt to build 1 million square meters of new reef in a decade. Slattery, who grew up exploring the Great Barrier Reef in The Keppels island group, believes that a start-up mentality is required to accelerate the restoration and conservation of marine species and their habitats [d5ae262a].
