In the elusive quest for a truly smart city, we need to rethink the parameters. All too often, smart city initiatives have been bogged down by cosmetic enhancements, such as lowering carbon emissions or improving neighborhood lighting solutions. While both are worthy causes, realizing the full potential of smart cities requires a deeper, more thoughtful approach. At the core of this approach is the digital infrastructure, specifically data centers.
The average person conjures an image of a data center as a monolithic facility with rows and rows of computer racks studded with blinking lights. That is certainly true in most cases today; however, smart cities of the future need to consider the data center as an ecosystem – social and economic lifeblood for the surrounding population. Whether large or small, data centers fulfill a vital function that allows edge computing platforms to enable seamless transportation over fiber, 5G and satellites. In order for this ecosystem to survive and grow, it will need to be greener, smarter and secure.
Greener. It is estimated by 2025 that data centers and associated IT infrastructure will consume over 4% of the world’s power and will only increase as more of the world moves into the status of IT-enabled. Large data center requirements within the U.S. could […]
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