Increasing Demand for Computing Power: Too Few IT Specialists and Data Centers in Vienna
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the global market for data centers is estimated to be around 412 billion euros this year and is growing at an average annual rate of over eight percent. By 2029, the market is expected to reach a volume of about 568 billion euros. Along with this, the importance of the market is also growing in Europe. Their energy consumption here alone could rise to 98.5 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2030, which corresponds to a growth of 28 percent compared to 2018.
Demand for Data Centers Rises with AI & Co.: Resource Shortage in Vienna
This requires a reliable power supply, a comprehensive fiber optic infrastructure, and well-trained IT specialists. The latter, in particular, poses a major challenge. "In Vienna alone, there is currently a shortage of 6,000 IT specialists - a significant bottleneck that urgently needs to be addressed to keep the business location competitive in the long term," emphasizes Martin Puaschitz, chairman of the UBIT (Business Consulting, Accounting, and Information Technology) professional group.
"The demand for data centers is increasing; especially due to the growing AI applications, which require enormous computing power," explains Heimhilcher. In fact, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is among the most energy-intensive applications: A single AI query can have 10 to 100 times the energy demand of a conventional data query.
Currently, there are 21 data centers in Vienna. The city offers some location advantages such as high supply security with green energy, political stability, and earthquake safety. However, the establishment of new data centers faces challenges: lack of space and high real estate prices make it difficult to establish new server farms. The largest available areas are usually located in more remote industrial zones, while space for new facilities is limited in the city center.
(APA/Red.)
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