FINAL WORD
Data centre space is going to be increasingly at a premium if AI investment continues at its current pace . Infrastructure therefore needs to be increasingly highdensity to ensure continued availability and accommodation . Taking up less space and less power will become an ever-increasing necessity , so factoring that potential requirement now will save future pain .
Maximising the value of data centre resources will help keep services more affordable and attractive to customers , especially in what are likely to be ever more challenging times .
Above and beyond the demand for components from the big technology AI behemoths , increasing geopolitical tensions threaten to disrupt global supply chains . Being able to run more with less is a pragmatic move for many reasons but especially considering potential near future extended stock issues . DeepSeek perhaps offers a salutary lesson here . Do more with less .
For similar reasons , it is prudent to plan to use underlying core hardware for an extended period . Channel partners should specify solutions to support an assessment of what is needed in terms of performance in five years ’ time , incorporating within that the potential to reutilise hardware for other purposes , such as virtual workstation GPUs for generative imaging .
Environmentally sustainable infrastructure is only viable alongside sustainable economic growth .
Energy may well become a scarcer and more expensive resource , whilst also being subject to ever more volatile market shocks . Keeping energy usage as efficient as possible will minimise these shocks and the following disruption when and if this occurs . Where to prioritise sustainability ? All organisations should ideally be factoring these elements of sustainable infrastructure into their strategic thinking from a purely business perspective , which stand even without consideration of the potential for wider environmental benefit . Channel partners can be empowered to continue to offer and build out sustainable infrastructure through a focus on :
Cost
Solutions must be within budgetary reach and recognise the economic and environmental situation of Western territories .
Performance
Beware of solutions that , in a bid to meet budgets , constrain the ability to work well . Big technology offerings are particularly vulnerable to this charge .
Longevity
Quality , dependable components , smart builds that take heat generation and other degrading elements into account and extended warranties for customer assurance .
Agility
Lock-in will not secure anything beyond short to mid-term gains and customers are increasingly suspicious of such . Give them flexibility .
Ease
Make it easy for partners and customers to administrate and deploy solutions so they are operationally efficient and feel in control .
Innovation
Look beyond the obvious big technology offerings for more bespoke , progressive and transparent partners . Do not go backwards and do not restrict offers to generalist technology .
Nobody knows what is coming . Whether the current AI is a bubble that bursts , whether it covers the globe in data centres and nuclear reactors and fulfils Jevon ’ s paradox or whether it fundamentally alters the services we sell and consume , a pragmatic approach seems the best way forward .
Sustainable infrastructure supports just about every outcome or at least anticipates change in the most pragmatic way . Dispensing with the principle seems backward facing in many ways , regardless of current political discourse . And maybe there is one thing we do know : the world will likely keep warming . •
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