Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/860140
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 25 www.datacenterjournal.com THE XBOX STORY LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY & TEAM MANAGEMENT ROBBIE BACH Innovation Expert, Former Chief Xbox Officer for Microsoft and Author, Xbox Revisited: A Game Plan for Corporate and Civic Renewal CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SAVE THE DATE OCTOBER 15-18, 2017 JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ www.7x24exchange.org shaping the future END-TO-END RELIABILITY: MISSION CRITICAL FACILITIES SHAPING THE FUTURE 2017 FALL CONFERENCE CORPORATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM PARTNERS (AT PRESS TIME) MARQUIS PLUS+ PARTNERS MEDIA PARTNERS PLATINUM PARTNER GOLD PARTNERS SILVER PARTNERS expect to pay a premium for power, whereas other areas (oen farther from customers), they may pay less. Energy quality is also a concern. Although alternative sources such as wind and solar make headlines, particularly when large technology companies invest in them, they con- stitute a tiny percentage of the total energy mix in the U.S. Furthermore, their intermittent nature (solar only provides power during daylight hours and wind only does so when the air is moving) is a poor fit for the data center's appetite. Power must be avail- able on demand, and that demand has no respect for time of day or weather conditions. Alternative energy has a role to play, but the inflated emphasis by some large data center operators is disingenuous or at least misleading. Government regulations remain an uncertainty. During the presiden- tial administration of Barack Obama, a carbon tax, cap-and-trade system or some other energy scheme seemed all but inevitable—until the sluggish economic recovery put growth ahead of such concerns. But such policies remain a possibility, and they could have a large impact on data centers (specifically with regard to energy costs). e 2016 election likely means another four-year hiatus from regula- tory movement in that direction, but 2020 could reverse the situation. Justly or unjustly, data centers increasingly wear a scarlet E for "Energy (hogs)." One could argue that the economy's increasing reli- ance on the Internet for business (as opposed to more-energy-intensive means of communication or conduct- ing transactions) has driven the recent energy-consumption plateau. In that case, even though data centers use a growing amount of energy, they may be producing a net decrease in con- sumption when one considers other economic and logistical factors. But that kind of more sophisticated analy- sis is amenable to neither sound bites nor populist politicking, so data center operators will carry an increasingly tarnished reputation. e turning point may be when misguided energy policy starts hitting business and individual consumers where it hurts: the wallet. If the cost of digital ser- vices increases because of amorphous bogeymen such as "carbon footprints," popular opinion may quickly change. Speculation aside, energy has shown some curious and perhaps unexpected trends in the new mil- lennium. Whether those trends will continue or break in a different direc- tion is an interesting question, both academically and practically, for the data center operators who will either reap the benefits or pay the costs. n