Data Centre and Power News: August 2023
As providers of noise control solutions for the data centre and power generation industries, we at Wiltech Acoustics like to stay updated with all the latest developments in these sectors. Here are five key stories that caught our attention over the past few weeks.
Sunak’s £100 million chip investment
The UK government is allocating £100 million for AI chips, engaging in talks with major players like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. These AI chips, also known as GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), are crucial in speeding up data processing.
This investment has wider implications, potentially benefiting the data centre sector. AI chips can greatly enhance data centre capabilities, making data processing faster and more efficient. While opinions on the investment vary, it’s clear that this initiative has the potential to improve the data centre industry by introducing advanced AI infrastructure. The outcome may shape the UK’s role in the global AI and data processing landscape.
UK data centre director challenges sustainability misconceptions
In a blog for tech news site Silicon, a prominent UK data centre director debunked several sustainability myths still circulating within the sector.
David Watkins, solutions director for VIRTUS Data Centres, refuted notions of cost-prohibitive green practices, clarified some of the misconceptions around water usage misconceptions, and highlighted a number of energy-efficient initiatives being undertaken, emphasising the industry’s commitment to eco-friendly working practices.
New EU renewable targets
Earlier this month, European Union lawmakers approved new rules to make more clean energy in the next decade. This means that by 2030, at least 42.5% of the energy used in the EU must come from renewable sources like wind and solar power — a big increase from the previous goal of 32%. Some countries, like France, wanted to include nuclear power as well, even though, strictly speaking, it’s not renewable. The new rules aim to encourage more investment in clean energy like wind and solar power and help create new technologies. EU countries also need to agree before these rules become official.
Zinc-Ion: safe, abundant power
An article in The Conversation highlights that zinc-ion batteries could be the answer to our renewable energy storage challenges. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, zinc-ion batteries are cheaper, safer, and more eco-friendly. They use abundant materials like zinc and manganese, reducing the risk of supply shortages, and have a water-based electrolyte, which helps to eliminate the risk of fire and makes recycling easier. Canada, aiming for 90% renewable energy by 2030, sees zinc-ion batteries as a promising solution to advance its clean energy goals and support a sustainable energy future.
UK’s clean energy setback
The UK government’s latest auction for renewable energy contracts has resulted in no new offshore wind farms, according to The Guardian, marking a significant setback for the country’s clean energy goals. Offshore wind developers, including SSE, ScottishPower, and Vattenfall, refrained from bidding, citing low auction prices that didn’t cover rising supply chain costs. While other clean energy projects, such as solar, onshore wind, tidal, and geothermal, secured contracts, the absence of large offshore wind projects threatens the UK’s climate targets. Critics call it a “clean energy policy failure” that may cost the UK billions in investments and impact energy bills for households.
Wiltech Acoustics engineer, manufacture and install high-quality noise control solutions for Industrial and Power applications. Contact us to find out more about how we can help your business.