How AI will change the data center and the IT workforce

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being unleashed on business processes, data analytics and a host of other enterprise functions, but its role in data center automation stands to change not just the data center itself but all its  infrastructure — physical and virtual, to the edge and beyond.

As with most everything AI touches, the data center will become leaner, less costly to operate and achieve higher performance metrics as the transition unfolds, and much of what is done by human operators will be automated — just like what was happening in the pre-AI era. Still, experts predict that the shortage of qualified data center operators will continue and may even get worse.

AI of all trades

Clearly, there are many ways in which AI can be used to automate data center management. Rohan Sheth, of colocation provider Yotta, highlights some of the low-hanging fruit, such as load management, power and resource consumption and security. Still, he says, few organizations are leveraging AI to its full potential, due to a combination of mistrust, lack of skillsets and the potential risk for disruption.

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