The rise of smart manufacturing will place unprecedented demands on the data centre industry. We explore the consequences of the unstoppable ‘rise of the robots’.
A ‘smart’ factory embracing the potential of the ‘Industrial Internet of Things’ (IIoT) generates around 5 petabytes of data per week. For context, that’s 5 million gigabytes, as much as more than 300,000 16 GB iPhones!
With the Industry 4.0 revolution in full swing, the demand for data is growing at a phenomenal rate. We explain to data centre news website The Stack just what this means for the sector.
We outline some of the areas where machine learning, automation, and artificial intelligence are transforming factory floors across the country.
From streamlining the production process or analysing consumer trends to inform stock control, through to improved machinery maintenance and increased productivity thanks to increased use of robotics, the potential is unlimited.
But in reality, the vast amounts of data generated and processed will be unlimited too.
How Much Data Do ‘Smart Factories’ Generate?
A single smart machine on the factory floor will create 5 GB of data a week. But multiply that by 100 machines, or even 1,000, or more. As a consequence, all that data needs processing and analysis in real-time to reap the full benefits.
For data centres, this likely means a hybrid of smaller modular facilities inside or as close to the smart factory as possible, plus some form of cloud or centralised data storage for manufacturers with multiple sites.
Such modular data centres dovetail with the rise of modular uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units to ensure the critical power protection needs are met.
Modularity, both in terms of data centre structure and UPS, provides administrators with the scalability to “pay as they grow” by adding in extra modules as and when the need arises.
Find out the full impact smart manufacturing will have on data centres over at The Stack
