Forecasts for the future, data center startups and building bigger were the hot themes in the new year on Data Center Frontier. As usual in January, our "Eight Trends" forecast was the most popular story for the month. But there was also high reader interest in the launch of sustainability-focused startups CleanArc and ECL, as well as Amazon Web Services' mega-deal for data center development in Virginia.   

Here are the 10 most popular stories on Data Center Frontier in January, 2023 in order of article views:

• The Eight Trends That Will Shape the Data Center Industry in 2023 :  What lies ahead for the data center industry in 2023? It will be a year of dueling cross currents that could constrain or accelerate business activity in the sector. Here are the trends we believe will matter the most.  
• Being a Good Neighbor Means Considering Community Impact During Site Selection:  Like it or not, your data center will be part of a community and you need to take the needs and concerns of that community into account. Nautilus Data Technologies outlines a community-focused approach to data center development.
  
• Virginia Updates Incentives to Land $35 Billion Data Center Buildout by AWS: Virginia intends to remain the world's biggest data center market. That's the clear message from Friday's news that Amazon Web Services plans to invest $35 billion in new data center campuses in the state, supported by new tax incentives and grants.        .
  
• Virginia State Legislators Target Data Center Development With New Bills: State legislators in Virginia have introduced bills seeking to tighten regulations around data center development, expressing concern about the potential impact of developments in Prince William County.  
  
• The Carrier Hotel Sector is Heating Up:   It's been a busy couple of months for the carrier hotel sector, with a flurry of acquisition and development news, reinforcing the strategic role of wired real estate in major cities.       .
  
• ECL Launches, Offering Hydrogen-Powered Modular Data Centers:  Data center startup ECL plans to deploy hydrogen-powered modular data centers that are built using 3D printing and require no local power and water. The company, which is led by industry veteran Yuval Bachar, announced $7 million in seed financing.     
  
• CleanArc Data Centers Launches, Offering Green Power Bundled with Hyperscale Capacity:  A large clean energy investment fund is sponsoring a new development platform to target the hyperscale sector. CleanArc Data Centers launched Tuesday, and plans to build hyperscale data centers with clean energy contracts in place.
  
• CyrusOne Buys Land for New Data Center Campus in Northern Virginia :  Data center developer CyrusOne will continue its expansion in Northern Virginia, buying a 57-acre property to the west of Ashburn's Data Center Alley where it plans a new hyperscale campus.
  
• Vantage Building Spree Continues with 13 New Data Centers in 2022: Developer Vantage Data Centers opened a record 13 new data centers in 2022, continuing a global expansion. That included new campuses in Montreal, Berlin, Frankfurt and South Africa.
  
• What the Chip Revolution Means for Data Centers: On this week’s Data Center Frontier Show, we talk with Greg Stover, the Global Director of Hi-Tech Development for Vertiv, who shares insights on the hot chips emerging from Silicon Valley, and how they may change data center design.

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:

• The Network Effect of Global Data Centers (EdgeConneX): Phillip Marangella, Chief Marketing and Product Officer for EdgeConneX, explains how the network effect can be seen in the data center industry as its markets expand around the world.
• Looking Ahead After a 30-Year Data Center Career (Sabey Data Centers): John Ford, Vice President of Leasing for Sabey Data Centers and General Manager of SDC Seattle, shares insights gleaned over his 30-year data center career.
• Data Center Modernization: The Untapped Green Initiative (Cadence System Design):  Mark Fenton, Product Marketing Manager at Cadence Design Systems, explores how modernizing legacy data centers with digital twin technology can help the industry meet its sustainability goals.
• Facing the Challenges of Today's Modern Data Center: Standing at the Edge (AFL):  AFL’s Manja Thessin, Enterprise Market Manager, and Seán Adam, Vice President of Market Strategy and Innovation, explore how edge data centers are key to unleashing advanced use cases resulting in new user experiences and new business opportunities.

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