The potential of data centers in NH

BACK THROUGH THE 40S. WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BUSINESS. I’M FRED KOCHER. NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS 15 SMALL DATA CENTERS ACROSS THE STATE. THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATURE IS CURRENTLY DEBATING WHETHER NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOULD ALLOW OR RESTRICT LARGE DATA CENTERS THAT COME WITH HIGH ENERGY DEMANDS ARE PROJECTED TO TRIPLE BY 2028 BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. DATA CENTERS SERVE A DIVERSE RANGE OF INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING AI, AND PROVIDE KEY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES TO STORE, MANAGE AND PROTECT CRITICAL DATA AND LARGE DATA CENTERS INCLUDE HIGH SPEED FIBER OPTIC NETWORKS, CUTTING EDGE COOLING SYSTEMS AND COOLING SYSTEMS, AND UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY. EVEN WITH POWER OUTAGES NOW, HERE ARE SOME KEY PROPOSALS IN THE LEGISLATURE. I WON’T USE THE BILL NUMBERS, BUT I’LL TELL YOU WHAT THEY SAY ENABLES LOCAL PLANNING BOARDS TO REGULATE DATA CENTERS. ANOTHER BILL, ONE YEAR MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS, REQUIRE UTILITIES TO REPORT THE COSTS AND CAPACITY OF DATA CENTERS, INCENTIVES AND GRID MODERNIZATION TO ATTRACT DATA CENTERS. A RIGHT TO OWN USE COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES PROHIBITS GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR LARGE ELECTRICITY FACILITIES TO CONTROL COSTS. SO ONE MAJOR INCENTIVE IS ALREADY LAW IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. A BILL SIGNED LAST YEAR BY GOVERNOR AYOTTE ESTABLISHES A CATEGORY OF OFF GRID ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS. IT WOULD ALLOW A DATA CENTER TO INSTALL ITS OWN ENERGY SOURCE. ONE SOURCE SUGGESTS THAT COULD INCLUDE SMALL NUCLEAR DEVICES, AND IN FACT, THE GOVERNOR HAS JUST SIGNED A AN ORDER, AN EXECUTIVE ORDER, TO STUDY THE IDEA OF SMALL NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE STATE FOR ENERGY. WITH ME IN THE STUDIO TO COMMENT ON THE DATA CENTER MOVEMENT IS THE CHAIR OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCES SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, READY. AND BARTOS, WHO IS ALSO A PROFESSOR IN THAT DEPARTMENT. AMONG THE MANY RESEARCH PAPERS RAHIM HAS WRITTEN IS ONE ON THE CHALLENGES OF DATA CENTER BRIDGING NETWORKS. NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE. WELCOME. GOOD TO HAVE YOU CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG, BUT LARGE DATA CENTERS ARE HERE BECAUSE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. YES, THAT’S THE MAIN REASON. BUT THEY ALSO, LIKE YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR INTRODUCTION, THEY SERVE MANY OTHER PURPOSES, MANY OTHER PURPOSES. GIVEN YOUR BACKGROUND AND EXPERTISE, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST TO STATE POLICYMAKERS AND COMMUNITY POLICY MAKERS THAT ARE LOOKING AT THE IDEA OF A LARGE DATA CENTER BEING LOCATED HERE IN THE STATE OR IN A COMMUNITY? WHAT SHOULD THEY BE CONSIDERING? MOST IMPORTANT, AS THEY CONSIDER THAT DECISION, WHETHER TO ALLOW OR TO RESTRICT? WELL, I WOULD PROBABLY START WITH SAYING THAT DATA CENTERS ARE IMPORTANT, CRITICAL PART OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF 21ST CENTURY. SO, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE SOMETHING THAT WE NEED. WE NEED THEM CLOSE TO WHERE WE ARE. AND THEY SERVE A POSITIVE ROLE. YOU KNOW, HAVING SAID THAT, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT POWER CONSUMPTION, WATER CONSUMPTION, THE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. AND, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS OF THAT NATURE, RIGHT? BUT AT THE TIME HAS COME FOR LARGE DATA CENTERS. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY HAVE ALREADY ADOPTED THEM. DO YOU THINK NEW HAMPSHIRE BEING THE KIND OF STATE IT IS AND YOU KNOW IT? WELL, DO YOU THINK WE’RE THE RIGHT SITE FOR A LARGE DATA CENTER? NOT AT THIS POINT, NOT AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE WE HAVE VERY HIGH ENERGY COSTS AND WE ARE LOCATED AT THE EDGE OF THE INTERNET. YOU KNOW, OTHER PLACES THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE VIRGINIA, WHICH ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE CONNECTING PARTS OF THE THE INTERNET, YOU KNOW, ARE MUCH BETTER SUITED FOR LARGE DATA CENTERS WITHOUT TRYING TO POPULATE YOUR COMPUTER CLASS OR YOUR COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASS. THERE ARE DATA CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE SHORT OF STAFF. AND SO THEY’RE LOOKING FOR STAFF. THEY’RE LOOKING TO THE COLLEGES AND THEY’RE LOOKING FOR SAVVY IN DIGITAL SKILLS, SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY AND AI SYSTEM MANAGEMENT. AND ALREADY 52% OF DATA CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE SHORT OF STAFF. DO YOU SEE INTEREST IN THE STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT ARE IN YOUR COURSES IN THIS KIND OF CAREER WITH A DATA CENTER? OH, ABSOLUTELY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND WE ALREADY HAVE PROGRAMS THAT COVER ALL THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE EMPLOYED BY THESE DATA CENTERS. INTERESTING. ANY FINAL THOUGHTS? I THINK THE DATA CENTERS ARE REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. THEY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. JUST THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY CAN STREAM THIS PROGRAM ON THEIR MOBILE DEVICE, IT’S ENABLED BY A SERVER SITTING IN A IN A DATA CENTER SOMEWHERE VERY CLOSE TO WHERE THEY ARE. RADIM BARTOS, WHO IS A PROFESSOR IN THE CHAIR OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AND PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IF YOU MISSED PART OF THIS BRIEFING ON LARGE DATA CENTERS, THAT MIGHT COME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, MAYBE NOT. YOU CAN SEE IT AN