The Data Center Frontier Show Are we coming up short? Navigating the Global Power Deficit
May 6, 2025
Join Nick Bustamante, CTO of 4Scale Data Centers, and Kathleen Margolis, Senior Client Account Director at Black & Veatch, as they dive into the pressing global power deficit impacting the data center industry. They discuss the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions, the complexities of securing power in various regions, and the importance of collaboration between utilities and tech firms. The duo also highlights innovative design strategies that minimize energy waste while navigating regulatory challenges in data center development.
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Understanding Global Power Deficit
- The global power deficit for data centers results from a surge in demand across sectors and retiring legacy generation assets.
- Utilities struggle to meet these compounded demands, creating localized power scarcity issues for data center development.
Power Deficit Is a Shared Challenge
- The power deficit is a shared challenge across communities and sectors, not just data centers.
- Outdated grid infrastructure and lack of coordination between utilities and users exacerbate this fragility, highlighting the need for collaborative solutions.
Embrace Diverse Power Solutions
- Data center developments must consider diverse power sources and tailor solutions based on regional utility mixes.
- Embrace a multi-fuel strategy including renewables, nuclear, and gas, along with improving grid efficiency to address power challenges effectively.