Data Centers
Feb 22, 2024

What Are Data Centers?

We're back at it with episode three of our five-part podcast special that explains the nuts and bolts of the internet.

You've come to the right place if you're looking to understand how all of those cat videos travel from the source to your phone. 

We explained in episode two how the internet is made of transport networks to carry data over (mostly) fiber optic wires distributed around the world. And in the episode before that, we discussed how the internet is a network of networks operated by thousands of mostly private companies.

But we haven’t yet covered exactly how and where those networks meet and exchange traffic with each other and access their destinations.

So today, it's data center time.
Dec 18, 2023

Colocation Pricing Trends To Watch

The pressures of supply chain disruptions, electricity price volatility, and government intervention are impacting prices in the global colocation market.

As we continue to move through 2023, here are a couple of trends to keep an eye on.
Dec 11, 2023

Where in the World Is the Largest Data Center Hub?

By our 2023 estimates, the Washington metropolitan area—or more specifically Northern Virginia (NoVA)—dominates as the world's largest data center market.

With more than 22 million square feet of operational capacity, NoVA is 30% larger than the next-biggest data center hub, Tokyo.

What else does the most recent update to our Data Center Research Service tell us?
Dec 4, 2023

The Data Center Industry Faces New Obstacles

Recently, we’ve been closely monitoring the intensifying pressures of insatiable demand and supply constraints in key data center markets.

Supply constraints have come in the form of both short-term and long-term challenges.

In the short term, supply chain disruptions have hindered development timelines. On the long-term side, regulators and utility providers have begun taking a hard look at the data center sector and how to grow it sustainably going forward. In some cases, these entities have severely disrupted development during the interim period.

None of these challenges have been resolved. And as we move through 2023, another major disruptive component has been added to the mix—the accelerated growth of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Sep 18, 2023

Mapping Out Asia’s Cloud Data Center and Connectivity Market

Last week, I presented the latest TeleGeography data on Asian cloud data centers through a live webinar with Ciena.

Let's talk through the first section of my presentation, which maps out the region’s current cloud data center and cloud service provider landscape.

I'll also share a link to download my slides and watch a recording of the discussion.
Aug 17, 2023

These Two Regions Account For About 65% of the World’s Cloud Data Centers

Cloud services have become a critical component of many enterprises' data management. And how enterprises reach the cloud service providers' data centers has become an important issue.

Traditionally, the plain old internet sufficed. But there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Mar 1, 2023

Disruptions in the Data Center Market

The global data center market is under an unprecedented squeeze as we move into 2023.

On one hand, we have a long-term challenge surrounding the sustainability of the industry’s growth trajectory in essential hub markets. On the other, we have an acute short-term problem with energy prices in the colocation sector.

These issues combine to create an uncomfortable phase in the market right now.

Oct 20, 2022

The Data Center Sector: An Uncertain Juncture

There’s a remarkable sense of uncertainty in the data center sector right now.

Some of the biggest global markets have seen unprecedented disruption to data center development as regulators and utility companies attempt to work through critical issues surrounding the long-term sustainability of the industry. 

At the same time, the war in Ukraine has fueled tremendous volatility in European wholesale power prices, bringing further stress to an industry that’s fundamentally dependent on vast amounts of power. Let’s unpack the current situation.
Oct 4, 2022

Data Centers and the Opportunity at the Edge

When I reached out to today's podcast guest—Jim Poole, Vice President of Business Development at Equinix—about being on the show, I asked if he'd be willing to dig into NaaS or edge data centers.

Mar 8, 2022

Data Centers and Digital Transformation

When it comes to the cloud and digital transformation of the enterprise, it's always useful to come back to the fact that physical geography matters to our digital world.

 

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