In my last column, I compared the data center efficiency metric power usage effectiveness (PUE) and the ASHRAE 90.4 standard. Since then, Earth Day, April 22, has come and gone, and discussions and contentions about the sources of climate change, or even if it exists (not to mention the politics), continue to run rampant, and of course data centers seem to be seen by some as part of the cause.
All of this gave me pause to look beyond discussing how the use of AI and machine learning can help to reduce the PUE of a 100-megawatt hyperscale facility from a PUE of 1.15 down to 1.11. I felt the need to step back to the 50,000 foot view, perhaps to low-earth orbit, where many satellites roam (as well as a lot of old space junk). And apparently it is going to get a lot more crowded up there pretty soon.