By Ocient Staff
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) recently hosted the Compute-Energy-Nexus Workshop, an event that focused on two of the largest and growing industries in the world: data and energy. The workshop addressed pressing topics at the intersection of technological innovation and environmental sustainability, focusing on data centers, energy optimization, and the smart grid.
First, it aimed to bring together a wide range of stakeholders from UIUC alongside selected external experts from companies like NVIDIA and Ocient to explore the challenges associated with these topics. Second, it sought to identify potential team members who could collaborate on taking the next steps to address the real-world challenges.
The event featured two keynote speakers who set the stage for the day’s discussions. Wen-mei Hwu who joined NVIDIA in February 2020 as a Senior Distinguished Research Scientist shared insights on “Power and Energy Efficiency in Hyperscale AI Data Centers.” His talk focused on the reality of managing power and energy in large-scale AI driven environments, highlighting cutting-edge strategies for optimizing energy use in these settings.
Next up was Chris Gladwin, CEO of Ocient, who delivered a presentation on “Growing Data Center Energy: A Global Threat and Opportunity.” He underscored how the rapid expansion of data centers is now facing the limiting factor of energy production and pressed attendees to rethink fundamental assumptions and architectures to maximize for efficiency.
Top 3 Takeaways
Throughout the day long workshop, several key themes emerged. Below are the three significant takeaways in a space that is moving quickly among academic leaders, private businesses and the public sector who are all trying to meet the modern requirements that are increasingly constrained by energy.
Big Energy Needs to be Viewed Alongside Big Data
One of the most striking points driven home at the workshop was the symbiotic relationship between big data and energy consumption. As the demand for data processing intensifies exponentially, so does the energy required to power the servers that store, process and distribute this data. Every action taken within a data center–from running algorithms to cooling systems–has a direct impact on energy use. The experts highlighted the need for innovative solutions that can manage growing energy demand without compromising on data capabilities of some of the most powerful companies in the world such as Google, Microsoft, Oracle and more.
Wanted: More Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Whether you’re a grad student writing a research paper or an engineer constructing a project, the theme of collaboration came up in conversation. The Chief Product Officer at Ocient Joe Jablonski, a Illinois graduate himself, joined a panel to say that building the most efficient, innovative environments requires inter-disciplinary thinking. Joe explained how Ocient has been architected with software and hardware in mind to future proof data analysis.
The Time is Now
Finally the workshop emphasized that the need for action is immediate. With the growing energy demands across the globe, the time to address these challenges is now. Delaying action not only risks exacerbating the environmental impact of data centers but also missing out on opportunities for leading advancements in energy efficiency and smart grid integration. Whether through research, development, or policy advocacy, each participant will play a part.
A special thanks to Chairs Klara Nahrstedt and Philip Krein for organizing the day. If you want to learn more about the outcomes of the workshop or participate in ongoing initiatives, stay connected with UIUC and Ocient. Together, we can build a collaborative ecosystem that drives innovation and sustainability in the world of data.