I was just interviewed by a business journalist for a story on the rapid growth of data centres. In my opinion he was missing the point.

It is not about investment in data centres but about density of compute power and the software running on it. The last batch of servers we purchased for GoPC.net and Central Data Systems are a quantum more powerful than the previous generation only 2 year ago. A typical machine has 256 GB – 512 GB of RAM and 36 – 48 CPU cores within just 2 rack units (9 cm). We shrank 5 racks of servers and filled only part of one of these machines. We also set up 100 TB of storage in 4 rack units.  We will expand to over 1 petabyte of storage and with very high IOPS (input/output operations which are critical to service high performance systems).

Whilst some are investing to build data centres I believe they are missing the mark. It is those who control the compute cloud who really hold the market opportunity. This is all about the technology, both the Intellectual Property and knowhow.  It is not about investing in airconditioned rooms and selling a square metre of floor space any longer.