DataCenter Summit 2018: Game of Phones / EDGE is coming…
Intro
I had the opportunity to attend the DC Summit Latin America 2018. Let me be candid: this was my first visit to this recurrent annual event, hence my upfront expectations were truly neutral. I must admit that has changed – the quality and variety of presentations during the event is really good. In the following paragraphs, let me try to summarize an all-day event for your benefit.
So let´s start with the post title: besides the geeky reference to the famous HBO´s series “Game of Thrones” line, I am trying to reference the EDGE computing topic, which I believe was at the heart of the entire event, and the 5G wireless communication new standard (coming to a city near you really soon).
So, for starters, what is EDGE computing? In my own words, it is basically an IT infrastructure strategy in which the computing power is located near the consumption of its outputs. This strategy makes sense in those cases where the latency (the interval between the data output and its input after processing) is crucial. Examples of these situations are robotic-intensive industrial facilities (just imagine a robot waiting for input in an assembly line), hospitals (real-time tests or surgery), financial institutions, etc. Actually, as appointed by one of the presenters, Mr. Gustavo Barrantes from IBM, the EDGE computing strategy is particularly attractive to the smart cities trend, where we will see more and more sensors capturing data, including river levels, pipeline vibrations, temperature measurements, route traffic, rain, pH, electric, water, gas and data lines detailed monitoring, etc. As a matter of fact, a couple presenters pointed out that we have produced more data in the last two years than in all the prior history of mankind. BTW, an EDGE computing center should not be envisioned only as a container: other options are skids, enclosures (stand-alone rack-level systems), modular small buildings, colocation, etc.).
Humanity has produced more data in the last two years than in all the prior history of mankind
5G: a revolution is coming
Both Mr. Barrantes from IBM, Mr. Alexander Muñoz (another presenter from Grupo Electrotecnica, a major DC provider in the region) as well as the joint panel of experts assembled at the end of the event made it clear that the Internet of Things is a reality and it is coming. Its just a matter of time… or to put it in more accurate terms, of more resilient and faster infrastructure availability. That in turn translates into both EDGE computing – which we have already mentioned – and faster connectivity, particularly 5G. Let me be honest: to this point, I was not clear about the key role of 5G in the next 5-10 years. To this point, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and any other you have heard are wireless service network targeting human consumption. In other words, all the wireless service networks we have used and known up to this day are designed for human consumption. This is not the case for 5G: this network is designed to support much more than solely human-originated traffic, but machine to machine (M2M) as well (perhaps I should say Thing to Thing… some stranger than other). It is WAY faster (at least 10X), and data is compressed in more efficient ways, saving energy (quite a plus for mobile phones). Anyway, point is: the real traffic, the real burden on tomorrow´s networks will not be “we the people” (even consuming HD video), but things, all kind of things exchanging data and more data.
43% of data will move through EDGE DCs in the near future. As per Gartner, 44% of orgs are looking toward EDGE DCs.
Energy: move on!
Another interesting and recurrent topic discussed during the summit was energy (this already smells like a soup of bits, electrons and atoms: mix and stir!). Several presenters converged on similar ideas. Phil Isaak, a reputed technologist, pointed out that EDGE DCs are particularly compatible with green/alternative energy solutions, simply because of their small scale (compared to the traditional titanic DC): fuel cells, wind, solar, even immersion cooling (check out the cool tip-of-the-spear approach to submarine DCs tech by Microsoft). Mr. Isaak also commented on the fact that EDGE DCs run on their own micro-grid, which is in turn a glimpse to the future of electrical networks (check out Solar City by Tesla as an example). And speaking of energy, two representatives from the World Green Building Council attended the summit, including Juanita Alvarez (Americas Head for the WGBC), who delivered a moving speech toward the importance of improving our building global portfolio to a better energy management performance.
Conclusion
At the end of the summit (I mean, besides the social activities ;o) ) there was a discussion that I particularly enjoyed: a panel of experts who discussed the business, social, tech and economic benefits of transforming Costa Rica (country of the event) in an international hub of DCs for the Americas, similar to what Ireland has done in Europe. The SMEs perspective was positive: the fact that the country produces more than 95% of its electricity from renewable sources, the quality of the manpower and its geo location are terrific advantages. As per the panel, political push is required. On that perspective, the Vice-Minister of tech stated that the government is looking forward to have at least partial 5G coverage before the admin ends, and further coordination among local institutions is already happening. Lowering energy tariffs and further support to the IT private sector (eg, taxes) would provide more tail winds to this initiative.
Let me finish this post by re-stating my opening comment: my take after the event is quite positive, the DC Summit is an opportunity to learn, to do networking and to catch a glimpse of the future. I truly recommend the event to anyone in the IT sector; Im already looking forward for next years event.
So, cheers, chapeau for the DC Summit! See you in a new post.
