11/03/2024 What I Read Last Week
#DigitalInfrastructure news: xAI Supercluster tour, DigitalBridge, KKR, Apple, satellites
Weekly Edition of curated news about Digital Infrastructure
[Link] xAI Colossus Supercluster video!! Check out the video in the link - or this post
https://x.com/ServeTheHome/status/1850917031421399543for an incredible @ServeTheHome tour of the xAI Colossus Supercluster in Memphis. I asked Grok for some inside information on the supercluster: it gave me some good information, and then finished with this…
So there you have it, a peek into the heart of Colossus, where the line between science fiction and reality is thinner than a silicon wafer. Just remember, with great power comes great electricity bills![Link] NVIDIA said that xAI’s Colossus supercomputer cluster is made up of 100,000 NVIDIA Hopper GPUs and has achieved this scale by using the NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet networking platform, which is designed to deliver superior performance to multi-tenant, hyperscale AI factories using standards-based Ethernet, for its Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) network.
NVIDIA also launched its Enterprise Reference Architectures. These comprehensive blueprints help NVIDIA systems partners and joint customers build their own AI factories.
[Link] Here is some follow-up information on the COPT land purchase in Van Meter, Iowa story I posted a few weeks ago. The new DCD article notes that initial plans from COPT indicate the site can accommodate approximately 3.3 million square feet of development and 1 GW of power capacity. The site could total 15 buildings, each spanning 220,000 square feet, and two substations.
[Link] Four Iowa business groups are advocating for a reform of how both residential and business electric rates are set in the state. A secretive group of “large energy users” made a push in 2022 to purchase electricity on the open market, rather than through Iowa utilities. The Iowa Economic Alliance released results of a poll in September 2022 that showed 64 percent of Iowans supported competition among utilities, rather than a territory-based system where customers have just one provider choice.
[Link] DigitalBridge acquires Netherlands-based global developer and operator of hyperscale data centers Yondr Group. The company has more than 420MW of capacity committed to hyperscalers, with significant additional land to support a total potential capacity of over 1GW. DigitalBridge also announced 3rd quarter financial results last week.
[Link] KKR and Energy Capital Partners announce $50 billion strategic partnership to support AI growth through investments in data centers and power generation. “In order for the U.S. to maintain its advantage in AI, we will need massive new investments in power infrastructure on an accelerated basis that are capable of addressing concerns related to electricity prices and carbon emissions,” said Doug Kimmelman, Founder and Senior Partner, ECP.
[Link] Apple has taken a 20 percent ownership stake in satellite company Globalstar in an equity deal worth around $400 million. It will also give Globalstar $1.1 billion in cash to expand iPhone satellite services.
[Link] Logos Space Services, a SATCOM operator for enterprise customers, has now been launched. The company will use spectrum differently than previous satellite operators to maximize security and avoid jamming. They filed an application at the Federal Communications Commission to construct, launch, and operate a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) system.
[Link] eStruxture, a Canadian AI and hyperscale-ready data center company, is committing over $750 million CAD for the full build of CAL-3 in Alberta, and is slated to deliver 90MW of power.
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