This article originally appeared in Dark Reading
In our digitally pushed world, knowledge has turn out to be a useful asset to firms throughout sectors. Information allows clever merchandise, companies, and operations. Information can also be the unsung hero in at this time’s “age of AI.” By 2030, the AI market will be worth more than $1.3 billion in revenue — rising 36.8% from 2023’s market measurement of $150.2 billion, and knowledge is arguably the catalyzer driving this immense progress.
The Present State of Information Facilities
Information isn’t just an intangible asset that is saved within the digital ether of “the cloud.” In actuality, knowledge, and knowledge storage, may be very a lot tied to the bodily world. With the growing introduction of synthetic intelligence fashions, extra knowledge will probably be wanted, and subsequently saved in knowledge facilities.
These facilities enable for knowledge to be saved safe, correct, accessible, and, for all sensible functions, “alive.” Utilizing switches, storage programs, servers, routers, and different tools, knowledge facilities can retailer important knowledge units across the clock. Nevertheless, the intense heat produced by the vitality used to course of and retailer knowledge causes overheating considerations. Information facilities subsequently require energy-intensive cooling programs to make sure the tools doesn’t fail. Such failures can result in knowledge losses, and important workload and repair outages — which occurred at a major tech company’s Australian-based data center when a regional utility’s energy outage shut down the middle’s cooling mechanism.
Sadly, cooling comes at a steep value, accounting for nearly 40% of an average data center’s electricity usage. Many operators acknowledge the pressure conventional air-based cooling strategies placed on its funds and net-zero pledges, which is why some are choosing liquid cooling programs. Though liquid cooling is technically extra vitality environment friendly than air cooling, it will possibly nonetheless negatively impression the setting — and opens different door for potential outages.
Information’s Dependence on Water
After we say “liquid” cooling programs, we’re really referring to water usually. Similar to dwelling beings, knowledge wants water to outlive — and, subsequently, so do AI fashions, software program, and numerous different applied sciences that depend on knowledge.
Most knowledge facilities in the USA use freshwater provided by utilities — the identical water provide that people depend on. The average data center uses 1 million to 5 million gallons of water a day (paywalled article), and contemplating that 30% of the world’s data centers are located in America, which means Individuals are shedding entry to a major quantity of secure ingesting water.
The US is already experiencing alarming water shortages on account of low precipitation fueled by local weather change and elevated demand from a rising inhabitants. Now, add the elevated demand from knowledge facilities as operators attempt to cool amenities overrun with AI-associated knowledge, and America might expertise a water disaster.
To make issues worse, the American water provide is going through an extra menace: cybersecurity attacks. Bad actors are increasingly targeting US water infrastructure. The principle concern is the well being and security of Individuals, however these assaults additionally threaten knowledge facilities — and the know-how that rely upon knowledge. Hackers have historically targeted cooling systems, and they’ll undoubtedly proceed to take action by discovering weak factors in knowledge facilities’ water infrastructure, in addition to safety gaps within the regional water utilities that serve knowledge facilities throughout the US.
Two-Pronged Strategy: Sustainability and Safety
So, how can knowledge heart operators successfully retailer knowledge that’s important to the booming AI market and just about each facet of the digital world whereas limiting their water consumption and defending their water infrastructure?
From an environmental standpoint, it is going to imply using different water sources past freshwater offered by American utilities. Some operators are exploring the usage of wastewater, industrial water, and seawater to minimize their pressure on the USA’ depleting freshwater provide. Improving liquid cooling system monitoring tools to trace water consumption can also be key. And firms are correctly utilizing federal funds to explore efficient cooling options and will proceed partnering with the general public sector transferring ahead.
What’s extra, operators ought to take into account introducing new liquid cooling programs fully, as there at the moment are extra superior designs that use much less water. And as new knowledge facilities turn out to be vital — which we all know they are going to — firms ought to take into account constructing these amenities in cooler climates in addition to in areas with water basins that aren’t overstrained.
From a cybersecurity standpoint, many operators should prioritize defensive measures that particularly shield water infrastructure — which arguably has not been a key safety prerogative in earlier years. This can require a strategic reset through which leaders determine water, vitality, and different exterior dependencies and prolong danger assessments to environmental and different assets past the “logistics-based provide chain” that would interrupt enterprise or operations. If enterprises haven’t achieved so already, then they need to additionally apply zero-trust rules to all water-based infrastructure that they’re dependent upon.
Organizations should put together themselves for a wide range of situations: What would occur if the info facilities you depend on for enterprise viability had a water scarcity that compelled a shut down? Does your disaster plan take into account catastrophic lack of water, and subsequently knowledge? If water assets and infrastructure sit exterior of your safety applications, then likelihood is you could possibly very properly face these situations.
To keep away from such potential threats, remember this straightforward mantra: Outline. Defend. Defend. Assess your danger so you may mitigate it, and monitor and preserve your defenses.
That stated, water utilities should additionally do their half to assist forestall assaults that would severely impression crucial knowledge facilities and compromise water provide. Experts point to a renewed focus on cyber resiliency via public-private partnerships, improved centralized patch administration programs, danger assessments, and short-term controls to deal with fast vulnerabilities in crucial programs and legacy infrastructure.
Change Is Wanted Now
Information heart operators are confronted with a substantial problem. They need to meet the calls for of storing an astonishingly growing amount of knowledge whereas using a reducing provide of water to chill their amenities. Enterprise, know-how, and sustainability leaders should work collectively to formulate methods that not solely shield the setting, but additionally shield their knowledge.
There isn’t any future for people or the life-changing know-how we have come to depend on with out water. And make no mistake, we’re probably encroaching on a water provide disaster if knowledge heart operators, utilities, and the American authorities don’t implement preventative measures now.
Mark Trump is IT/IoT Protection Adviser, Cybersecurity Heart of Excellence, Capgemini.
