Upcoming Industry Events

Panel: A new frontier for batteries: What is the future of onsite energy storage?

Speaker: Chris Brown, Chief Technical Officer

Date: AUGUST 31, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. EDT

Demand for reliable, efficient and sustainable batteries continues to increase to provide critical backup for the rapidly growing data center industry. However, with myriad options in the market, it can be difficult to discern which is the best option for a data center as operators try to balance CapEx alongside their sustainability agendas.

During this episode, expert speakers will explore the latest developments in battery technologies and discuss which solutions can best match the power requirements of different systems, and support variable peak loads. The space requirements versus backup time is also a challenge that data centers have to contend with, so this discussion will also address what will come next, and whether the industry will move away from traditional batteries as we explore the next era of onsite energy storage.

Panel: With build cost inflation on the rise, is it time to dump your coins into wholesale colocation?

Speaker: Luca Beltramino, Senior Vice President Global Programs

Date: September 6, 2022 | 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT

In the current environment, the cost of building a data center has become exorbitant in the face of a global supply chain challenge. The pressure is on to find suitable locations for build, to coordinate ‘just-in-time’ lean construction, the installation of M&E equipment whilst keeping a lid on cost.

As such, wholesale colocation often better equipped to weather the storm and employ methods such as onshorting, increasing their supplier pool and even designing their own equipment, could we see proprietary data center builds dissipate in favor of a purpose-built, ready-made facility?

This panel will assess how large-scale owner-operators are approaching the decision to build as the competition for land, materials and labor heats up.

Keynote Panel: How is technology is shaping the future of sustainable data centres?

September 14, 2022 | 9:30 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. CDT

Speaker: Matt Stansberry, Vice President, North America

According to Gartner, half of all cloud data centres will deploy AI/ML-enabled robots by 2025, increasing operating efficiency by 30%. Automation and machine learning are prevalent in all industries in some capacity. However, historically data centres have not been quick to adopt this technology. Yet, with the increase in sustainability concerns, skills shortages and recent advances in AI and ML, the data centre industry is seeing the benefits of adoption. This panel will explore the many benefits of deploying AI technologies to drive operational efficiencies in both cloud and data centres.

Panel: Interconnectivity at the core: Hybrid data cloud strategies and beyond

September 14, 2022 at 1:40 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CDT

Speaker: Scott MacIntire, Director, Client Engagement, Uptime Institute

Data centre interconnection, also referred to as DCI, is the mechanism for connecting one cloud or data centre to another. Previously, the focus has been on increasing capabilities within the data centre and from the data centre to the business. However, now we require multiple data centres and public clouds to talk to each other, meaning that businesses need to deploy flexible and agile data centre interconnection.

This session will discuss the drivers for this growth, how these mechanisms work, and the considerations that need to be taken when developing a strategy for hybrid cloud computing and managing workloads between data centres.

Panel: What is the best approach to sustainability reporting and Intelligent sustainability strategies?

September 14, 2022 at 3:40 p.m. - 4:20 p.m. CDT

Moderator: Rob Glen, Senior Advisor, Innovation Commercialization, Uptime Institute

2.5% of the world's energy is consumed by data centers, it's expected to increase to 8 to 10% by 2030. Hyperscales and the data centre industry have made pledges on becoming net zero. With goals including zero water consumption etc, how do we truly deliver and measure carbon and create a robust Intelligent Sustainability strategy? This session will explore what companies are doing to reach these goals, at what cost and which types of reporting are effective. The panel will also explore the expectations of third parties such as colocation providers in meeting these targets.

Panel: Renewable Energy and Decarbonisation – why ESG is critical for Data Centre Investment

September 15, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. GMT +2

Speaker: Andy Lawrence, Executive Director of Research

Customers are driving the trend in scrutinizing supply chains to ensure they are consistent with their own sustainability goals to meet ESG plans. As contributors to indirect carbon emissions given the large power demands for IT load capacity has shifted consideration for investors from a peripheral concern to mainstream. Consumption of energy by data centres have made them prone in some circumstances to public review and political action. Post-pandemic, during which operators needed to scale very quickly, there is a focus on cost control. The circular economy has also moved up in importance to sustainability strategies. To achieve carbon reductions and zero use in the decades ahead, renewable energy options for data centres – wind, solar, hydroelectric – are being actively considered to include geothermal energy, green hydrogen and even nuclear. It has also led to increased focus on water scarcity and reducing the impact of data centres on local water supplies. In Europe the sector is targeting 100% renewable energy by 2030.

• What is the critical link between investment and green energy?
• Many investors are still in the process of determining their frameworks around ESG analysis - how do they assess risk without precise ESG benchmarks in place?
• Some government initiatives offer building power platforms providing on-site power adjacent to large scale campus developments – is this a trend that is likely to continue?
• How do investors rank new power solutions?

Panel: Is Edge still eating the Cloud?

September 15, 2022 at 2:40 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. GMT +2

Speaker: Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director Europe

Presentation: What measures should we take in the face of the shortage of talent in the data center industry?

Panel Date and Time: September 19th at 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. GMT -5

Speaker: Arturo Maqueo Bobadilla, Business Development Director Mexico, Central America & Caribbean

Speaker: Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director, Europe

Panel: IT efficiency: the critical core of digital sustainability

Date: September 28, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Speaker: Jay Dietrich, Research Director of Sustainability

Whilst we have measurements of PUE, and WUE to describe how efficient a facility is to operate, we have no official measurement for how efficient a server or rack of servers are. Additionally, we often fail to discuss the efficiency of the IT workload delivered versus the energy consumed by said workload.

As such, Uptime Institute’s Jay Dietrich will focus on the IT element of digital infrastructure and how much energy this uses and how it can be better managed in order to become more efficient and improve overall sustainability.

Panel: Managing ICT outage risk across modern digital infrastructure environments

Date: October 12, 2022 at 1:45 p.m. EDT

Speaker: Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director, Europe

• Outage trends across modern financial sector infrastructure
• Approaches to identifying and mitigate outage risks across cloud, SaaS and colocation and system integrator partners
• Scoping and implementing risk monitoring and risk assessments programs
• Embedding infrastructure risk mitigation process across LODs and operational resiliency teams to meet regulatory requirements
• Working with ICT partners to address and mitigate risk

Panel: Talent in Telecoms: Diversifying the data centre workforce in the age of expansion

Date: October 18, 2022 4:50 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. GMT

Moderator: Amber Villegas Williamson, Senior Consultant

• How the data centre industry is finding a way to attract new talent as well as talent retention
• Why there are perceptions the industry hasn’t done enough to diversify – how can it compete with more attractive-looking industries such as software and high tech
• Data centres and geographic expansion: can the possible perks of the job, such as travel, can become a lure?

Panel: Utilising our environment’s natural resources in your telco infrastructure strategy

Date: October 19, 2022 3:55 p.m. - 4:35 p.m. GMT

Moderator: Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director, Europe

• The concept of merely running ICT infrastructure facilities like data centres with compute and storage needs close to where power is generated
• The data centre industry’s goal to meet European Commission’s climate neutral targets by 2030 – a look at key trends in harvesting wind power in northern Europe to solar power in the southern part of the continent
• Efficient thinking: defining your market by latency rather than by geography

Speaker: Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director, Europe

Panel: The Importance of “Going Green” for the future of Data Centers in Africa

Date: November 9, 12:10 pm - 12:55 pm South Africa Standard Time (GMT+2)

Speaker: Mustapha Louni, Senior Vice President - Middle East, Africa & Greater India

An increase in demand for more environmentally conscious behaviour by consumers has led to a shift in the thinking around the key requirements needed to build data centers across the continent. Accessibility to data centers that are affordable, reliable as well as sustainable has been a pressing issue for data center providers to deliver on but will be essential for the future of the industry.

• Planning Ahead: Following COP26 last year, many organisations have been given the push to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050. How will the design of data centers have to shift to achieve that and how will data center practises need to change?
• Challenges & Opportunities: What are some of the key challenges that companies will face in building Sustainable Data Centers? How will partnerships and new technology help to achieve this goal?

Panel: TBD

Speaker: Dr. Rabih Bashroush, Global Head, IT Infrastructure Advisory

Panel: Ambition vs. Reality – How to reach sustainability goals

Speaker: Ali Moinuddin, Managing Director, Europe

November 22, 2022 | 9:05 a.m. - 9:35 a.m. BST

Post pandemic, in a world where demand for compute is increasing at pace, what challenges face the sector and how can we meet them head on?

What’s new in this burgeoning data center market and how are the key players evolving to meet relentless capacity demands?

Speaker: Mustapha Louni, Senior Vice President - Middle East, Africa & Greater India

Panel: What's Next for Infrastructure Management and Operations?

Date: April 20, 2023, 11:00 a.m. - 11:35 a.m. CEST (GMT+2)

Speaker: Scott Roots

Panel description: TBD