CSA Catapult CEO flags up data centre opportunities
There is a significant opportunity for both Newport and the UK to play a leading role in developing future technologies for data centres, according to Martin McHugh, CEO at the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, headquartered in Newport.
In a recent blog post, McHugh says that compound semiconductors — a technology that is developed widely across South Wales — will help to improve the energy efficiency of data centres and that the UK has the potential to lead the world in this technology.
There are currently 514 data centres in the UK — the third highest number in the world behind the US and Germany.
Close to CSA Catapult’s Innovation Centre in Newport is Vantage, one of the largest data centres in Europe. And just last week, Newport Council granted permission for Microsoft to build its own hyperscale data centre just across the road from CSA Catapult on Celtic Way.
Though data centres are essential for handling our data and coping with the rising demands of AI, they are very energy intensive. It is estimated that data centres currently consume between 1 percent and 1.5 percent of global electricity use.
McHugh says that efficiencies can be made by using compound semiconductors to improve the distribution of power across data centres.
This means devices can be smaller, more efficient and will produce less heat — a significant benefit considering the amount of cooling required in a data centre.
South Wales is home to the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster — CSconnected.
To capitalise on these strengths and opportunities, McHugh calls on UK business, academia and government to engage with the big data centres on our doorstep to build new relationships and fully understand their future technology requirements.
He also says that we must take stock of the UK’s supply chain and identify areas where we can add the most value to the data centre market.
If this supply chain exists, he argues, then it must be brought together through publicly-funded R&D programmes to replicate the success that the UK has had with the electric vehicle market.
CSA Catapult is the UK’s authority on compound semiconductor applications and commercialisation. It combines state-of-the-art equipment with expertise to help solve the problems that businesses face when bringing their compound semiconductor products and applications to market.
