Join us for this podcast as we explore the dynamic landscape of data centers and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reshaped them. We'll delve into the shift from a 'north-south' traffic system to the sophisticated 'east-west' system that revolutionized data processing.

Our guest, Dave Hessong from Corning, illustrates the crucial role of high-speed connections like 800G in meeting AI's demands. The discussion reveals how upgrading to this speed is not just beneficial, but essential in optimizing your data center.

Latency, a key factor in network performance, is also a core topic of our conversation. Understanding its significance and how reducing it can enhance performance provides an edge in today's competitive market.

The discussion further delves into the importance of state-of-the-art fiber optic cables, connectors, and cabling architecture in boosting a data center's performance. The complexities of AI deployment, its impact on fiber density, and the innovative solutions it necessitates are also explored.

As we unveil the future of data centers, the estimated rise in AI capacity and the associated challenges are discussed. These include the increased power requirements and the need for a more organized cable and fiber infrastructure.

While 800G might seem like just the beginning, the discussion elaborates on how this transition can future-proof your data centers for the next three to seven years. The extraordinary and transformative impact of AI, still in its infancy, on business and society is also a key highlight.

Looking to the future, the anticipated growth in bandwidth as AI continues to evolve, and the exciting prospect of technology reaching 1.6Tbps next year, are discussed.

We encourage you to tune in and engage with us as we navigate this rapidly evolving field. Regardless of your level of expertise, this conversation promises valuable insights into the future of data centers. Join us on this enlightening journey into the world of AI and data centers.

Prometheus Hyperscale is the new corporate entity formed this month which expands upon the footprint and the promise of the Wyoming Hyperscale White Box project, first reported on by DCF in 2022.

For this episode of the Data Center Frontier Show podcast, we spoke with Trenton Thornock, founder of Wyoming Hyperscale, who has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Prometheus Hyperscale; Trevor Neilson, a seasoned climate-tech CEO and energy transition investor, who joins as the company's President; and John Gross, President of J.M. Gross Engineering, who is handling the project's liquid cooling infrastructure.

The Wyoming Hyperscale White Box data center has been under construction since 2022 on 58 acres of land near Aspen Mountain Evanston, Wyoming, and represents a blueprint for creating super-efficient data centers with low impact on the environment and benefits for the local community. In the companies' transition, Wyoming Hyperscale has merged with Prometheus Hyperscale and been expanded from a 120 MW project to plans for a data center campus with 1 GW of IT capacity.

The data center is being built on land owned by Thornock's family, which has been involved in ranching for 6 generations. The location benefits from ready access to renewable energy from nearby wind and solar farms. Wyoming Hyperscale has a contract with Rocky Mountain Power for 120 megawatts of power and a 138 kV substation, which is fed by the same switchgear as the renewable energy generation sites. The site sits on a major east-west fiber highway that tracks the 41st parallel, along which data center hubs have emerged in places like Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah. The Union-Pacific Railroad line, which provides key right-of-ways for fiber deployment, runs through nearby Aspen Mountain.

The Evanston project underscores Prometheus Hyperscale’s commitment to sustainability and innovation. By integrating 100% renewable energy and advanced liquid cooling technology combined with heat reuse, the Evanston facility promises to be one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly data centers in the world. Importantly, less than 10% of the project’s power development plan is grid dependent (120 MW of 1,220MW or 9.84%).

The first facilities yielded by Phase 1 of the Evanston project are expected to come online within the next 18 months. Prometheus Hyperscale has also revealed plans to construct four other data centers across Arizona and Colorado. And as previously reported by DCF, this May saw the announcement of a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) by fission-based nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) specialist Oklo to deliver 100 MW of power to Prometheus, using Oklo's Aurora Powerhouse reactors for power generation.

"Our partnership with Oklo not only provides us with a reliable, clean energy source but also positions us as a leader in sustainable data center operations," said Thornock. "Sam Altman’s and Jacob Dewitte’s vision for a sustainable future through advanced energy solutions aligns perfectly with our mission at Prometheus Hyperscale."

During the podcast, Thornock discussed the evolution of the Wyoming hyperscale project with Prometheus, highlighting its growth to a 1 GW prospect since the groundbreaking of the Evanston County project in 2022. For his part, Trevor Nielsen emphasized increasing demand for Prometheus driven by advancements in computing power and the importance of sustainability in the energy transition.

Our conversation also covered the company's partnership with Oklo, focusing on the streamlined permitting process for small modular reactors in Wyoming and the strategic use of resources for data center energy generation.

Sustainability is a critical factor in data center design. The topic encompasses a series of design trade offs including: reliability, site selection, water usage, operating parameters, construction materials and cooling efficiencies. Due to a couple of key paradigm shifts in the industry, today’s data center owners and operators are looking to meet their cooling demands with air cooled solutions. All this needs to be done in conjunction with optimizing energy efficiency leading to a significant change in HVAC system products and design.

In this conversation, Jeffrey Jerwers can discuss the trends driving the need for water conservation and associated equipment impact. He will detail the types of economizers available for mechanical cooling systems, application by climate zone and their associated design tradeoffs.