Data center operators are getting serious about waste heat and, more specifically, what to do with it.
While the solution for many is to pump it back into nearby district heating systems, other companies are getting more creative and using warmth from servers to heat aquafarms and greenhouses.

European operator Data4 has joined a project which aims to demonstrate that waste heat from its data center can help to grow algae, which could in turn be used as biofuel. Linda Lescuyer, Data4’s innovation manager, joins us to explain how the project is taking shape. 

Data center markets vary wildly by location, and in this episode we head "down under" to the wonderful land of Australia.

With the AI boom in full across the globe, Australia is no different and experiencing increased demand.  

We talk to David Hirst, who heads up Australia's Macquarie Data Centers, about the trends he is seeing in the country, how Macquarie is approaching AI, and the company's recent news, including its forthcoming IC3 Super West data center.

During a natural disaster, networks often go down. This can massively impact rescue missions in some cases. The importance of network operators and the role they play in responding to unpredictable moments is something that should be highlighted.

We spoke to Verizon to see how it prepares its response to hurricanes and tornados, and find out the level of training required to support its efforts.

With the cloud market already over-saturated, it is hard to imagine how a new company can make its mark. NexGen Cloud is seeking to do just that, with plans to build a sustainable cloud specializing in HPC and GPU infrastructure called "super cloud."

We talk about how NexGen is going to achieve this, the steps taken thus far and why the company thinks it is a solid competitor for some of the bigger players. 

Sourcing adequate amounts of power to run new facilities is a problem that keeps even the most seasoned data center operators awake at night. 

Many are looking at new technologies such as battery storage to help meet their power demands, but ensuring these assets operate efficiently can be a challenge.

Dublin-based GridBeyond thinks it can help by providing grid-connected battery technologies and management software to data centers and other clients across a range of industries. In this episode, Michael Phelan, founder and CEO of GridBeyond, talks about the challenges and opportunities presented by the clean energy transition, and the future of Ireland’s overstretched power grid.

With AI dramatically driving up density, data center cooling is getting much more interesting. 

Iceotope is one of the companies exploring the most efficient and sustainable way to cool down data centers - and their solution is precision cooling. On the face of it, precision cooling resembles immersion cooling - viscous liquid? Check. Bathtub-like container? Check.

But as CEO David Craig explains, it is actually a far more efficient solution. Beyond the world of liquid cooling, we talk about political optimism and how the next generation will hopefully help us all towards a greener world. 

Mushrooms can be used to build more than just toad-stools. In this episode, Joanne Rodriguez, CEO at Mycocycle, talks about using mycelium to break down data center construction waste and make new construction materials. Listen in to this fung-guide to the future of waste management.

In this episode, Chris Lohse of the Idaho National Laboratory, talks about the recent innovations around nuclear power, the highs and lows of recent years, and what the future might hold for nuclear-powered data centers.

Sustainability needs to be applied at all levels of the data center industry, and we are not doing enough, says John Booth of Carbon3IT. 

In this episode of Zero Downtime, we sit down with sustainability consultant John Booth to talk about how he got where he is in his career, and the fundamental sustainability issues that he is seeing in the data center industry. 

We also talk about a past trip to Belarus that proved more exciting than expected. Tune in now for the latest episode.