As a technology advisor, I spend a lot of time talking about and reading about software that supports the rapid development of AI. It is so easy to focus on the virtual realm of rapidly growing models and speedy applications that can complete tasks in seconds for things such as writing documents, making artwork, and even complex predictions.
But behind all of these soft images of endless possibilities of digital applications sits the rugged world of power supply, cooling, concrete foundations, rows of data centers, and a myriad of other, heavy physical structures to distribute, process, and store tons of information. It is all constructed and functions using hard materials like steel and copper, and millions of hours of skilled labor. As is well known by now, to run applications of digital technologies, high amounts of power have to be fed into them; an ever-increasing number of powerful chips and enormous amounts of information are being processed all the time, and a corresponding amount of heat is generated that has to be removed from the highly dense hardware structure. This calls for powerful, highly complex, and increasingly expensive air and liquid-cooled systems, special facility construction, and heavy-duty engineering work. Huge, multi-story buildings are being constructed.
The Power Problem and the Modern Electrical Grid
They use a lot of electricity, so there is a challenge in supplying power to these facilities. That power is to run very fast computers, and so it has to be a very high-performance computing environment. That environment was not designed to handle that kind of computing, and so now we have to build out the facilities to handle that and support that kind of computing.
And the amount of power needed to support this computing is enormous. And so, the challenge is to supply the power needed to support this computing without placing an undue burden on the local electrical grid.
Upgrading the facility to house the increased computing power requires far more than simply adding a few new server racks. Data centers today are large facilities, and their power and cooling systems must be upgraded to support the increasing demand. The utilities that serve these data centers are being forced to upgrade their distribution systems as well. This includes building dedicated substations, laying large amounts of conduit, and integrating renewable energy sources, to name a few.
Therefore, in order to support growing demand for energy, energy strategy has become technology strategy. Facilities can be built in locations with sufficient power availability, and models can be trained at higher speeds.
Cooling the Hardware Engines of the Future
So too with electricity: generating computation creates heat. Older server rooms relied on air conditioning to cool servers. In high-density computing environments, cooling must be even more efficient. Liquid cooling (immersion of processing units in liquids that flow through the facility to remove heat generated by computation) has become very common now. All cooling systems for high-computation environments require careful physical planning and precise implementation.
Modern facilities require a lot of cooling, which typically comes in the form of air conditioning for the servers, and larger cooling systems for the whole facility. (Think of a large tank of water surrounded by computers, all immersed in the water.) These specialized systems for cooling computer hardware require a large group of physical tradesmen, as well as specialized mechanics to keep them running.
Installation of these specialized systems requires very skilled craftsmen. Typically, pipefitters, HVAC technicians, and mechanical technicians build these cooling systems as part of a larger building. They are often working in crowded rooms with very limited space. Cooling failure can occur in a matter of seconds and can result in millions of dollars of damage. There is no room for error in these types of systems.
To enable liquid cooling, even more precision craftsmanship is needed than with air cooling. Here, the technicians don’t just connect some pipes, they build a very precise mechanical environment. And if there is even a single drop of moisture in the wrong place, the resulting downtime for the millions of dollars of equipment at risk can be disastrous.
The Physical Footprint and the Demand for Skilled Labor
The rapid growth of data centers has led to the proliferation of a new type of facility in rural areas and suburbs across the country. To build out these facilities, developers are relying on a host of specialized physical tradespeople to construct the spaces where the hardware for the digital economy will reside.
From the electrician wiring high-voltage panels to the heavy equipment operator preparing the site for the building, the physical execution of building out heavy environments for computer hardware is a major bottleneck to technology growth today.
Businesses are utilizing staffing partners like https://superiorskilledtrades.com/ that specialize in heavy environments such as data centers, and have a large pool of certified electricians, welders, and other skilled tradespeople to choose from.
Ultimately though, you can have as much capital and chips as you want, but without the boots on the ground to wire the transformers and assemble the cooling towers, nothing is going to happen. It takes real sweat and grit.
The Structural Foundation Beneath Digital Expansion
Every server rack needs a stable foundation.
As computing requirements continue to increase, so too does the need for physical structures to support and power digital systems. Structural engineering for new facilities includes the construction of large amounts of reinforced concrete as well as systems for vibration isolation. Facility security measures are equally as robust as those used for military installations.
Structural Engineering for long-lasting large facilities is a highly specialized and demanding field of work. It involves design of foundations, superstructure, and details to resist wear and tear over long periods of time. Facilities are designed to withstand natural disasters and to function during localized power failures. In addition, they must last for decades. Site preparation can take months to complete before the first structural steel beam is placed in the building.
Contractors who develop and build facilities to enable digital expansion can attest to the enormous amount of coordination, planning, scheduling, and physical labor that is involved. In particular, the trades involved in building out physical spaces for facilities must work in unison and coordinate their activities in order to ensure that every conduit and cable tray is placed with millimeter accuracy. We explore the human scale of digital expansion in more detail below.
Looking Ahead at Built Environments
The digital future depends entirely on physical foundations.
While a lot of innovation is going on in designing software, the physical energy systems and facilities required to power the growing computational mass will increasingly differ from the ideas designed in software. The differences will become obvious to all involved in the construction of data centers.
The future of advanced technology and very complex systems will be decided on job sites, in mechanical rooms, and along the lines of electricity distribution. We need to respect and appreciate the skills of traditional craftspeople and physical engineers.