The Hyperscale Data Center Era Is Here—What It Means for Your Workforce

What you’ll learn:

• How the role of the consulting engineer is evolving to meet hyperscale data-center needs. 
• What this shift means for consulting engineers and the businesses they serve.
• What are the skills and tools consulting engineers should acquire to meet today’s hyperscale demands?

The rise of cloud computing has resulted in a radical evolution of the data-center industry. Changing business models, customer requirements, and purchasing behavior have contributed to the changes the industry is experiencing today. In the early 2000s, enterprise and retail colocation data centers led the market, yet when cloud computing picked up steam in 2015, so did the need for speed, scale, and standardization. This is when hyperscale took off.

More recently, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent rapid transformation of operations for many businesses and remote work for their employees drove demand for increased network bandwidth and capacity. As a result, the demand for cloud services to support new ways of working has continued to accelerate.

While many industries experienced a stall in their growth, hyperscale is poised for even greater strength. In fact, according to Cisco, hyperscale data centers will represent 53% of all installed data-center servers by 2021, and though hyperscale data centers already account for 39% of total IP traffic, this number will jump to 55% by 2021.

This growth is impressive, and it presents significant opportunity for the industry. But what does this growth mean for the people responsible for making hyperscale a success?

The Evolving Role of the Consulting Engineer

The entire value chain—from consulting engineers, electrical contractors, and construction managers to distributors and integrators—play a key role in transforming this industry, yet they’re also being challenged to evolve in their roles and responsibilities. For manufacturers and consulting engineers specifically, workloads are now shifting to meet hyperscale needs. As a result, customers are expecting them to scale their output accordingly and adapt to sudden change.

Schneider Electric released findings from a research report that surveyed 204 North American hyperscale and colocation data-center decision makers spanning engineering, construction management, distributor/integrator, electrical contractor roles. It looks at the considerable effects the shift to hyperscale is having on the entire value chain.

Survey results revealed that 30% of respondents said hyperscale was the number one impact to their business. We also found that within the last 12 months, consulting engineers have already dedicated half of their time to hyperscale and colocation projects, and the time spent on hyperscale projects will only increase as hyperscale gains more momentum. 

One of the most important values consulting engineers can bring to any project is speed, and there will be more pressure to maintain this speed while cutting costs, scaling deployments more effectively, and improving efficiencies in the hyperscale era. Consulting engineers are responsible for overseeing the design, efficiency, and reliability of electrical systems within these facilities, so they already shoulder important responsibilities.

The respondents understand the pressure hyperscale is already starting to bring. They stated the pressures to complete work within tighter deadlines, security challenges, and the lack of skilled labor are the three biggest pressures they face today—and there’s no doubt these pressures will continue to mount.

Key Considerations for Hyperscale Success

The growth in hyperscale and the increasing complexity of data-center projects means the consulting engineer workforce must level up their skills to keep up with the needs of the market today. An already shrinking workforce is adding to this hurdle.

As a result, consulting engineers must evolve their skills and equip the workforce with the tools needed to succeed in today’s data center environment. Two main considerations include:

1. Transform training techniques: As a new generation enters the workforce, companies can’t rely on old ways. They must rethink their approach to training to build a workforce that can evolve with technology. Consulting engineers need to understand a full spectrum of systems, from electrical to mechanical, and how they tie together. This will become especially important to meet the varying needs of tenants who lease space within colocation data centers. Companies should consider building customizable programs that train the workforce on how to use emerging technologies, like 3D modeling, AI, and more.
   
2. Utilize smart solutions: In the hyperscale environment, consulting engineers must complete more projects in less time. One solution to save time is through pairing humans with technology, which enables scalability and time savings. For example, by equipping the workers with robotics, humans can spend their time on more enjoyable work rather than on the repetitive tasks that consume time and effort.

 The hyperscale market is poised to get even bigger as the industry is proving its ability to take advantage of hyperscale’s potential. Now is the time for members of the data-center ecosystem to prepare. But to succeed, collaboration will be key. Consulting engineers must work with players across the value chain to enable the innovation needed for hyperscale success.