It has been almost three years since the ASHRAE 90.4 Energy Standard for Data Centers was finalized and went into effect in 2016, yet even today, many in the data center industry are not fully aware of its existence or its implications.

You may have noticed that liquid cooling has had a lot more activity and press coverage this past year.

Energy efficient, renewable, sustainable, carbon neutral, and of course the catch-all, going green — all make for great sound bites, but how do we really quantify how well we are doing in the age of gigawatt scale data centers?

If you like simplicity when it comes to considering which data center availability “standard” you want to follow, the 1-2-3-4 rating system may be just the right approach for you.

The role of artificial intelligence in the data center.

While attending the DCD Enterprise conference in NYC in May, I was amazed at the number of presentations and vendor booths highlighting edge computing, 5G, and digital transformation.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Happy 2018, and if you have not heard these terms last year, container, cloud, colocation/MTDC, hybrid, edge, modular, and OCP, applied to data centers enough times — it is time to update your subscription to Mission Critical Magazine.

As is my usual practice for my year end column, I asked the official Hot Aisle Insight crystal ball for guidance on the latest developments and trends in data centers.