By Abhik Saha, Co-Founder and CTO at OnePlay
We are living in 2023, a year marked by people’s remarkable appetite for digitization, automated lifestyles and a thriving gaming landscape. With 421 million active online gamers, India is home to one of the richest gaming populations. However, with a growing gaming space also comes the question of building adequate computing infrastructure.
Data centers comprising storage, network and computing infrastructure are undergoing a major transformation, processing zettabytes of data every day. These modern data centers are rapidly evolving from centralized, on-premise facilities managed by IT departments to scalable models, including distributed edge deployments, retail and wholesale colocation and hyperscale data centers hosting public cloud services, actively enabling gamers to seamlessly access and experience games.
With more innovation underway, we will see more flexibility in cloud computing, faster speeds and higher capacity networks and data centers making gaming more accessible. Let’s take a close look at some major trends in data centers that are revolutionizing the gaming industry.
Adoption of Liquid Cooling Technology
Data centers are often faced with a persistent challenge– heating in servers and buildings. Heating not only impairs the efficiency of the operation but also puts the entire unit at risk. While the current data centers resort to air cooling methods, it’s not a robust process.
Hence to combat this ever-increasing heat in their buildings, data center operators are resorting to liquid cooling. This innovative cooling method offers improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reduced noise levels compared to traditional approaches. Liquid cooling can be remarkably more effective, up to 3,000 times, than relying solely on air to manage temperature. This efficiency not only conquers the heating challenge but also enables data centers to maintain higher levels of operational efficiency.
Compact Data Centers at the Edge
Another important factor in reimagining the data center landscape is the surging demand for compact data centers at the edge.
Edge data centers provide swift, low-latency services, real-time analytics, and adherence to local data regulations. This shift is propelling the growth of smaller, agile data centers, strategically placed closer to end-users. The challenges of constructing massive data centers, such as selecting suitable locations and navigating complex supply chains, are not abstract concerns but genuine hurdles.
Waiting for years is not an option, and that’s why discreet 1-10 MW data center deployments are gaining traction. These deployments offer a personalized solution for your needs, delivered right when you need it, aligning with the dynamic nature of modern gaming.
Smart Designing To Meet Sustainability Goals
In today’s data center landscape, there’s a notable shift towards prioritizing resource efficiency. This shift stems from a dual objective: cost savings and reduced environmental footprint. Recent weather-related challenges are compelling data centers to reevaluate their approach to site selection and design. With weather patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable, it’s clear that data centers must explore innovative solutions to ensure their resilience in the face of catastrophic weather occurrences. These two phenomena are inextricably linked, requiring data centers to strike a delicate balance between resource efficiency and climatic resilience.
Additionally, data centers are moving away from non-renewable sources of energy and embracing alternative energy sources like Solar, wind etc. in a bid to achieve carbon neutrality as part of their commitment to environmental sustainability.
Open Compute Method
Open Compute (OCP) plays a game-changing role for data centers. It features open-source hardware designs to empower data centers with cost-effective, scalable, and energy-efficient solutions. This not only reduces expenses but also ensures smooth operations and supports a global gaming audience. OCP’s customizable options and relentless focus on innovation enhance gaming experiences, making it a critical aspect in shaping the future of gaming.
How are Data Centers Elevating the Gaming Landscape
Currently, gaming is one of the most fast-paced and innovative global industries that continues to thrive.
As per the All India Gaming Federation, The Indian gaming market is expected to grow from $2.8 billion in 2022 to $5 billion in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 28-30% with revenues surpassing movies and music combined. As game creators continue to evolve, they must have the support of a data center that understands their challenges and has comprehensive solutions to solve gameplay challenges. To sustain their growth gaming companies must collaborate with server providers and cloud gaming platforms to ensure more accessibility.
They need to collaborate with suppliers that have scalable facilities for growth, dedicated dark fiber connectivity and a passion for the latest gaming developments, allowing application developers to benefit from secure, reliable infrastructure and a technical support team that can deliver a great gaming experience time and time again.
