IT infrastructure – in demand computing capacities | nd-aktuell.de

The smartphone in the pocket, the PC on the desk, the server in the company – computers accompany us everywhere. But the premier class are the data centers: long rows of large, humming metal cabinets in their own, hermetically sealed buildings. Up to now primarily a domain of science, data centers are taking on an increasingly important function for society as a whole in times of artificial intelligence. However, experts warn that Germany could lose touch internationally in this next stage of digitalization.

The drivers for the increased need for large computing capacities are diverse: simulation models in science, the digitalization of administration and the private use of generative AI models such as ChatGPT, which has spread rapidly throughout society in the last two years. Currently, around 15 percent of data center capacity worldwide is used for AI and high-performance computing. The main part of the use is for internal company data processing and data backup in the event of power outages or cyber attacks.

New data centers are springing up everywhere. The development is particularly strong in the Hessian metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is also home to the largest node on the international Internet. The company firstcolo in Frankfurt’s Ostend has specialized in business users with its private data center. These include companies such as the online platform Shop Apotheke. “For example, if a patient redeems their e-prescription at the local pharmacy, this process is processed here via our server infrastructure,” says Jerome Evans from the data center operator firstcolo, which is only a small provider. The large capacities in the Hessian digital hub are maintained and further expanded by international companies such as the Amazon subsidiary AWS or the Japanese telecommunications company NTT. According to the Hessian Ministry for Digitalization and Innovation, the data center industry already has a turnover of almost 40 billion euros.

Far greater capacity in the USA

The digital industry association “Bitkom” recently provided an overview of the nationwide situation with a study carried out by the Berlin research company “Borderstep”. According to this, there are currently 2.4 million servers in authorities and companies in Germany. That’s a share of 2.5 percent of the global installed base. In 2015, the German share was 3.5 percent. But more important than their number is the performance of the data centers, which is measured in watts. The data centers in Germany today have an IT connection capacity of 2.7 gigawatts. 4.8 gigawatts are expected for 2030. “In contrast, the United States, with currently 48 gigawatts and around 95 gigawatts in 2030, has around twenty times more capacity than Germany,” says the Bitkom study.

In the European context, Germany continues to be the leader in terms of computing capacity. According to the survey, operators are currently investing 2.9 billion euros annually in buildings and technical building equipment and a further ten billion euros in IT hardware. What is interesting, however, is the correlation with economic strength, where Germany only achieves a low level. “In relation to gross domestic product, the connected load of data centers (610 kilowatts per billion euros of GDP) in Germany is lower than in Great Britain (670) or the Netherlands (930),” the study found. Ireland ranks at the top with 2,310 kilowatts, which is mainly due to the branches of large tech companies such as Facebook and Apple there, mind you for tax reasons. China follows with 2,100 and the USA with 1,700 kilowatts of connected load.

“Data Center Action Plan” required

“As the third largest economy in the world, we must not lose touch, but must keep pace with the leading nations,” warns Bitkom managing director Bernhard Rohleder. “Germany must make itself more capable of acting, more resilient and more technology-oriented – and this is only possible with a strong and efficient IT infrastructure,” is the association’s demand. In order to promote Germany as a location as a whole and make it attractive for data center operators, Bitkom is demanding a “data center action plan” from politicians.

This should also take into account the next “construction sites” of the expansion: the “ecological backpack,” so to speak, which is expressed in the rapidly increasing electricity demand and the solution to the waste heat problem. The Energy Efficiency Act stipulates that new data centers of 300 kilowatts or more must use part of their waste heat, which two thirds of the operators surveyed are already doing. But in some cases there is a lack of infrastructure »Many data centers would even give away their waste heat for free. “In many places, however, the modern heating networks required for this do not exist,” says Rohleder. A quarter of data center operators “assume higher water consumption because artificial intelligence and high-performance computing require more cooling,” says the study.

Supercomputing in Stuttgart

At least there was good news for supercomputing in Germany this week. The European organization for this class of computers, the “EuroHPC (High-performance Computing) Joint Undertaking,” announced the establishment of seven new “AI factories” in Europe. This will include a new supercomputing infrastructure optimized for AI applications at the Stuttgart location. “The aim is to significantly improve access to powerful AI technologies for research, start-ups, medium-sized businesses and industry as well as the public sector,” said interim research minister Cem Özdemir.

A consortium led by the High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) applied. The new AI factory with the acronym “HammerHAI” is operated under the management of the HLRS in collaboration with data centers in Munich, Göttingen and Karlsruhe. The project budget is around 85 million euros and is jointly financed by the European Commission, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and three state ministries.