How does your digital welfare depend on data centers?
There are over five billion internet users in the world and they all want their online operations always to go smoothly. This applies to buying new sports equipment from an online store, as well as to making a transfer to a cooperation partner for a timber delivery. In addition to surfing on the internet, those billions also have one other thing in common. They all use ... or actually we all use data centers in one way or another.
The largest data center in the Baltics opened in February. Photo: Tõnu Tunnel
Every online service and a piece of information used in it or an activity online must be physically located somewhere. As a rule, servers and connected IT devices that accept, process, store, and issue information are used for this purpose. Currently, those devices are located in fridge-sized cabinets in data centers that stand side-by-side in a row in smaller and larger rooms adjusted for this purpose. For example, the largest data center in the Baltics contains enough of such cabinets to cover two football fields.
Why is it necessary to have data centers, why could these devices not be kept at homes or offices like they used to?
The larger the amount of data, the more reasonable it is to keep them together in special premises designed for this purpose. The devices which manage the most valuable asset of the modern era require the following:
uninterrupted power supply and increasing amounts of power;
constant cooling, as the power consumed is turned into heat in the course of the work;
communication links for access to the data;
protection to ensure that only authorised persons can access the data.
Uninterrupted power supply, cooling, and communication links alone, however, do not ensure their reliability. If one of those fails, the IT devices will still become unusable. All systems should also be backed-up. It would not be a bad idea to also add plan C to plan B. If the ceiling of the room providing the power supply fails and a short-circuit causes a power cut, an alternative power supply (UPSs, generators) must be switched on for the information exchange online to continue. If there are issues in the functioning of the cooling system, another, equivalent system must we switched on to prevent a disaster due to overheating. If a careless excavator operator damages the communication line, there must be alternative lines that will still deliver the bits and bytes. Efficient security measures must stop any individuals with bad intentions who wish to access the servers.
In short, it is easier and more efficient from the perspective of energy consumption to organise all of the above in one building complex designed and built to withstand challenges. The more we wish to be online at work and at home, the more reliability we expect from data centers. Think about how many times you have had a transaction online interrupted, as something is not working properly. Now multiply this number with the afore-mentioned five billion internet users worldwide. This illustrates the role of reliability in e-commerce.
How many data centers are needed and is it necessary to build more?
Based on different sources, there are more than 8,000 data centers in the world today, which is not enough. According to the market intelligence provider IDC, 1.2 zettabytes (1.2 trillion gigabytes) of data were generated globally in 2010; in 2020, however, as much as 59 zettabytes. IDC predicts that this figure will rise to 175 zettabytes by 2025. This will mean a 146-fold increase in fifteen years.
Estonia, a well-known e-country in the world, did not have a large-scale complex built as a data center until February this year. Now, this shortcoming has been eliminated. The data center that cost almost 40 million euros will soon be accompanied by two more and even these will eventually not suffice. The more we rely on data and the internet in our daily activities, the more reliable and secure data centers we need.