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Digital acceleration and the evolution of data centres

Industry

14/10/2024

Revolutionising tomorrow’s technologies

Data centres are the cornerstone of today’s hyper-connected world. They are essential for handling the ever-growing flow of data generated by websites, mobile apps, online gaming, video & music streaming and other digital services. As consumers flock to these digital platforms, demand for stable, latency-free broadband connections is increasing endlessly. A recent EU survey revealed that European households want connection speeds of at least 100 Mbps to satisfy their digital needs. With the exponential growth of streaming services, cloud computing and teleworking, Cisco predicts that global IP traffic could reach 396 exabytes per month by 2025.

Ongoing investment in data centres is needed to power this digital surge, which seems to know no borders or limits.

Some key figures for Europe

In the midst of the digital revolution, IT is undergoing a major transformation. By 2025, the global volume of stored data is expected to reach 175 zettabytes, five times more than in 2018. This growth, accelerated by the post-Covid new normal, reflects the emergence of data-dependent uses such as artificial intelligence, cloud services, streaming, etc. The continuous innovation and capacity increases required to meet the needs of industries and consumers are also reflected in data centres’ demand for electricity. From 60 gigawatts in 2020, it is forecast to rise to 80 gigawatts in 2025 in Europe.

The sector’s expansion is backed by massive financing. According to the EU’s strategic vision, the market is expected to reach €59 billion by 2025. A figure that demonstrates the stakeholders’ commitment to digital sustainability.

In short, we are moving towards a digital era where usage, energy and investment are converging for the future of data storage, management and analysis. Data centres are the foundation of this dynamic, which is redefining our digital interactions and technological innovation.

GSE puts BIM to work for your data centre

GSE is transforming data centre construction thanks to Building Information Modeling (BIM), which centralises and integrates project management data. Our experts produce an accurate digital model, realistically simulating the future facility and enabling the client to explore options before construction begins. This prevents structural inconsistencies, while improving energy efficiency right from the design stage.

Relying on our own 3D BIM model simplifies inter-team collaboration, improves accuracy and reduces errors & delays. The digital model helps to coordinate the work of architects, engineers and builders, supporting technical and architectural decision-making.

BIM identifies and resolves problems before construction begins, ensuring accurate implementation and allowing clients to make changes without incurring additional costs. This method reduces errors and delays caused by communication failures and planning mistakes, maximising efficiency and generating significant savings of time and cost.

BIM is transforming construction by improving transparency and cooperation. This helps ensure that projects are completed in line with Client expectations.

The various types of data centres

Given the complexity of new technologies, optimising data hosting is crucial. To meet this requirement, a variety of data centre solutions are available to suit every need. These include enterprise data centres designed for complete control, colocation options for sharing space and resources, and cloud infrastructures offering flexibility and scalability. 

  • Enterprise data centres are the best suited for specific needs. The client has exclusive use of the space and installs the required number of servers to store and manage their data. The company fully manages its data centre, ensuring total control over its development and administration. It takes 18 to 24 months to build such a facility.
  • Colocation data centres, also known as carrier hotels or multi-tenant data centres (MTDCs), are intended for companies wishing to rent space to store their data in one or more locations around the world. This approach reduces investment and operational expenditure by sharing the costs between the various parties involved in the project. However, this solution does not offer the same degree of customisation as an enterprise data centre. On average, this type of facility takes between 12 and 18 months to build, depending on the specifics of the project. 
  • Cloud data centres are mainly operated by cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform. Spread across the world, these data centres are designed to optimise latency and ensure service redundancy. Users have direct control over their hosted resources. This solution offers businesses scalable storage capacity according to their requirements.

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