FEATURE : DATA CENTERS
BRINGING IN NEW , HIGHLY EFFICIENT CHIPS CAN NOT ONLY IMPROVE PERFORMANCE , BUT ALSO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SERVERS IN DATA CENTRES .
1 . Reevaluating legacy systems
Outdated servers cost more in upkeep and energy and result in larger footprints than ultra-efficient and performance-friendly modern servers .
In contrast , modern data centre processors can create multifold upgrades in performance and efficiency . While every CIO will have different needs , data centre footprints are not infinite and investing in new physical real estate is difficult to execute in this economic climate . Bringing in new , highly efficient chips can not only improve performance , but also reduce the number of servers in data centres . This opens up worlds of possibilities , from leaving room for scale for future growth ( such as new AI-powered software solutions ) to adding new features that enhance the future capabilities of their data centres ( such as allowing access to the most up-to-date memory and I / O features ).
Life cycles for data centre hardware are contracting . While chips from three , five or 10 years ago may still be functioning , advances in Moore ’ s Law , or the exponential improvement in semiconductors , means those systems are not just unable to compete with modern servers , they ’ re leagues behind .
Legacy systems are oftentimes seen as ‘ good enough ’ and blanket investments in upgrades strike many as too costly and time-consuming . But the ROI is undeniable .
Legacy systems can also significantly drain budgets – both in day-to-day operations and when significant scale is needed . For example , systems that are more than four-to-five years old can likely cost more in upkeep and energy than the cost of upgrading to newer models . And this does not account for the ‘ soft costs ’ of more frequent unplanned downtime , performance rot and increased security threats . CIOs with outdated systems will lag behind competitors in the capacity to quickly scale up operations as needed .
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