We're delving into the data centre this issue with articles that look at the current challenges facing the industry. First, Northern Data Group's Gary Tinkler outlines why power, rather than cooling, is going to be the key data centre demand going forward: "As AI continues to reshape what's possible in High-Performance Computing, the industry is faced with a significant challenge at its core - the power problem. The traditional focus on cooling just isn't enough anymore. With exciting new technologies being developed at a faster pace than ever, attention is shifting to building a robust power infrastructure that can support this new frontier."

And of course where there's data there's always the potential for a cybersecurity disaster too, as Thorsten Stremlau of the Trusted Computing Group explains in his article on the need to fortify data centre security through 'trusted computing'. "With experts in short supply and attacks on the rise, the adoption of internationally recognised standards and specifications are essential to securing data centres," according to Thorsten. "Created to make computing more secure, whether through hardware upgrades or software modifications, trusted computing provides assurance that devices and systems will only boot up so long as they are operating in a predictable manner. This creates a safe environment where all data stored and used can be efficiently authenticated."

Thorsten also highlights how the ongoing IT skills shortage is compounding security concerns in the data centre and beyond, something which is backed up by new research this month on the IT skills gap from SolarWinds. With two-fifths (40%) of the 272 global IT professionals surveyed by SolarWinds stating that the skills gap is the biggest challenge facing their company over the next year, it's clear the industry needs to address the gap before it becomes a breach too far.

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