The Top 10 Data Center Stories for June 2022

Huge new campuses and innovative solutions for better sustainability were the key themes that resonated with Data Center Frontier readers last month. But reliability took center stage in the top reader favorite, which examined the findings in the Uptime Institute’s most recent industry outage survey.

Here are the 10 most popular stories on Data Center Frontier in June 2022, in order of article views:

• Uptime: Longer Data Center Outages Are Becoming More Common The frequency of data center downtime hasn’t changed significantly, but outages are becoming longer and more expensive, according to new research from The Uptime Institute, which reported a “disturbing increase” in outages longer than 24 hours.
• Will Battery Storage Solutions Replace Generators?: Battery storage solutions are finally rounding the corner and becoming viable alternatives to diesel generators for data center backup power. Here’s a closer look at storage, as well as the role of biomass and hydropower, via Kohler Power.
• Data Centers Embrace Vegetable Oil as Cleaner Fuel for Generators: A growing number of data centers are turning to vegetable oil to reduce their impact on the environment, adopting fuels based on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to fuel the generators that provide backup power, replacing diesel fuel.
• Quantum Loophole Expands its Vision for Massive Data Center Cities: As it breaks ground on its first mega-campus in Maryland, data center developer Quantum Loophole is laying the groundwork for similar “data center cities” in Dallas, Chicago and Silicon Valley, says CEO Josh Snowhorn.
• Are Operators Ready for Green Data Center Laws? Data center climate pacts become nothing more than greenwashing if we do not take tangible, viable steps to create sustainable energy usage in operations. Mark Fenton of Future Facilities explores how a data center digital twin can help operators improve energy efficiency.
• NTT Global Data Centers Plans Massive New Campus in Northern Virginia: NTT Global Data Centers plans to expand its presence in Northern Virginia with a massive new campus in Prince William County, where it plans to develop 2 million square feet of data center space, supporting 336 megawatts (MWs) of capacity.
• Microsoft to Use Microgrid, Biofuel for Backup Power at New San Jose Data Center: Microsoft will integrate a microgrid at a new data center in San Jose, Calif., which will use renewable natural gas (RNG) instead of diesel fuel to power its emergency backup generators. The project with Enchanted Rock advances Microsoft’s goal of moving off of diesel fuel.
• The Home of the Cloud: Rapid Growth Continues in Northern Virginia: Northern Virginia continues to be largest market for data center space in the U.S. A new DCF special report provides an overview of the trends driving growth in Data Center Alley and its emerging sub-markets.
• Novva Data Centers Plans National Expansion Backed by $355M Funding: Novva Data Centers is going national. The Utah-based developer plans to expand across the United States and deploy up to 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) of data center capacity in strategic markets by 2027.
• The Exascale Era Begins, as Frontier Breaks Supercomputing Barrier: The U.S. has its first exascale computing system, as the Frontier system at Oak Ridge becomes the first supercomputer to officially exceed one quintillion calculations per second on the Top500 list. Details on Frontier, the path to exascale, and why it matters.

Education is part of our mission at Data Center Frontier. In our Voices of the Industry feature, we share the experience of data center executives on the front lines of innovation. Here’s a look at the most popular Voices columns for DCF readers last month:

• Are Operators Ready for Green Data Center Laws? (Future Facilities) Data center climate pacts become nothing more than greenwashing if we do not take tangible, viable steps to create sustainable energy usage in operations. Mark Fenton of Future Facilities explores how a data center digital twin can help operators improve energy efficiency.
• How Selecting A Green Data Center Can Benefit Enterprise Sustainability (Sabey Data Centers): Data centers with the fastest throughput and processing times have a digital advantage. Ryan Harris, Sales Engineer and Market Manager for The Siemon Company, explains why direct attach copper (DAC) cables are here to stay.
• Navigating the Perfect Storm of Unprecedented Data Center Demand and Constrained Supply (Stream Data Centers): Chris Kincaid, Senior Vice President of Development at Stream Data Centers, shares his perspective on navigating today’s market dependencies, and delivering the capacity hyperscalers need via build-to-suit data center solutions.

Be sure to check out all of our Voices columns, including insights from Advanced Energy, Blueprint Supply Chain, DataBank, QTS Data Centers, Viking Integrated Safety, Kohler Power,  and Enchanted Rock.

Keep pace with the fact-moving world of data centers and cloud computing by following us on Twitter and Facebook, connecting with Data Center Frontier editor Rich Miller on LinkedIn, and signing up for our weekly newspaper using the form below.