News: Microelectronics
18 July 2024
UK can capitalize on data-center boom, reckons CSA Catapult’s CEO
There is a significant opportunity for the UK to play a leading role in developing future technologies for data centers, according to Martin McHugh, CEO of the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult in Newport, South Wales.
Established in 2018 by UK Government agency Innovate UK (which provides funding and support for business innovation as part of UK Research and Innovation), CSA Catapult is a center of excellence that specializes in the measurement, characterization, integration and validation of compound semiconductor technology across four areas: power electronics, advanced packaging, radio frequency (RF) and microwave, and photonics. As a not-for-profit organization, it is focused on accelerating the adoption of compound semiconductors. It works across the UK in a range of industry sectors, from automotive to medical, and from digital communications to aerospace.
In a bl post, McHugh says that compound semiconductors — developed widely across South Wales — will help to improve the energy efficiency of data centers and that the UK has the potential to lead the world in this technology.
There are currently 514 data centers in the UK — the third highest number in the world behind the USA and Germany. Close to CSA Catapult’s Innovation Centre in Newport is Vantage, one of the largest data centers in Europe. Also, in early July, Newport Council granted permission for Microsoft to build its own hyperscale data center just across the road from CSA Catapult on Celtic Way.
Although data centers are essential for handling data and coping with the rising demands of artificial intelligence (AI), they are very energy intensive. It is estimated that data centers currently consume 1-1.5% of global electricity use. Google recently said that its greenhouse gas emissions were 48% higher in 2023 compared with 2019, driven by the increasing amounts of energy needed by its data centers to cope with the explosive growth of AI. Improving the energy efficiency of data centers is hence key to meeting net-zero targets.
McHugh says that efficiencies can be made by using compound semiconductors to improve the distribution of power across data centers. Power supply units (PSUs) are critical for converting power alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC) before it is delivered to server racks. Silicon carbide (SiC) has been used in PSUs since 2001, enabling devices to be smaller, more efficient and produce less heat — a significant benefit considering the amount of cooling required in a data centers.
McHugh also notes that compound semiconductor-based photonic devices can help to replace the traditional copper interconnects between server racks, enabling faster speeds, higher bandwidths and improved energy efficiency.
South Wales is home to the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster CSconnected. To capitalize on these strengths and opportunities, McHugh calls on UK business, academia and government to engage with tier-1 organizations and big data centers to build new relationships and fully understand their future technology requirements.
He adds that stock must be taken of the UK’s supply chain and areas identified where the most value can be added to the data-center market. If this supply chain exists, then it must be brought together through publicly funded R&D programs to replicate the success that the UK has had with the electric vehicle market, he argues.
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