Hello Reader,
It's F1 in Singapore this week. If there's one thing F1 cars and data centres have in common, it's how they look alike from afar. But look closer and the changes under the hood are astounding. There's one difference though: the sheer pace of data centre construction has created a drastic shortage of skilled talent.
Today, let's talk about the silent skills crisis hitting Southeast Asian data centres, the potential of Microsoft's microfluidics to reshape the industry, and how intense pressure is pushing companies like Huawei to innovate with simpler technologies.
The silent skills crisis
We hear often of the many data centres being built across the region, from Johor to Batam, Thailand to Japan, and Australia to India. They only seem to get bigger, with a growing number incorporating additional works such as dedicated wastewater treatment plants or even reservoir.
The reality is Southeast Asia doesn't have quite enough data centres to serve its large population amid rapid digitalisation. We do, after all, have the world's fourth most populous nation here, and the region is one of the most densely populated globally. The construction boom suddenly makes sense, offering jobs to thousands of workers.
There's one problem though.
Many of these construction workers might be working on data centre projects seasonally. Part-time electricians or mechanical technicians. Then there are migrant workers, who might be promised job rotations for skill development or to comply with employment policies. Hardly an ideal environment for skill transference.
Last week, I wrote about a data centre liquid cooling disaster in Southeast Asia. Another video has since surfaced, showing water gushing from the back of a cooling distribution unit. I was told it wasn't the only one.
I can't shake this thought: Could the leak have happened due to poor supervision, an inexperienced manager, or some other seemingly "minor" lapse - like hand-tightened liquid cooling piping fittings without proper torque tools? Is this an omen of things to come - a skills crisis ready to explode in our faces?
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Data centres will keep evolving
It's arguable that the changes in the data center over the last few years are more than that of the last decade. Much of it can be attributed to AI, which has resulted in the creation of AI data centers to accommodate the incredible rack density that cutting-edge GPU servers require.
Now, I've previously written that I'm seeing limited AI deployments in the region. AI workloads will increase, but it'll come in fits and stops, not the gigawatt facilities seen in the US. Still, there's no denying that AI has forced data center operators to ramp up the potential capacity of their facilities. In effect, it's forcing a wave of change in an industry that had traditionally moved very slowly.
But if you think that the current wave of change will taper off soon, then you will be disappointed. Last week, Microsoft published a blog post about a breakthrough in microfluidics for cooling CPUs. While a lot of the optimism reported in mainstream reports is overstated, the research will likely have a strong influence on data center designs when commercialized.
What I found most interesting is how it might enable stacked, three-dimensional processors. You see, current cooling methods can't handle the heat density of 3D chips effectively, limiting us to flat processor designs. With its microscale channels and superior heat transfer, microfluidics could potentially channel coolant through a cube-like "3D" processor, enabling an entirely new chip architecture.
Speaking of liquid cooled CPUs, Huawei had recently unveiled a new type of memory chip called HiBL that offers HBM-like performance for AI accelerators. Under sanctions and with no Chinese company able to make traditional HBM, or High-Bandwidth Memory, Huawei turned to on-package DRAM, made using older 28nm techniques (HBM4 is set to move to 4nm) but utilizing innovative packaging techniques to literally stack them together. It does get hot though. So Huawei turned to cold-plate liquid cooling to keep the memory cool.
What will the data center of the future look like with stacked processors and liquid cooling reaching deep into the silicon itself? I don't know exactly. What I do know is this: every constraint we've accepted as fundamental is being challenged. The only certainty? That the data centre of the future could well be unrecognisable to someone working in the industry today.
Data Centre World 2025
I will be at Data Centre World this Wednesday (8 October). If you would like to catch up in person, do drop me an email or leave me a direct message on LinkedIn.
As always, you can reach me by hitting reply.
Regards,
Paul Mah.
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The silent Southeast Asia data centre skills crisis
Construction boom outpaces workforce development, revealing uncomfortable truths about regional capacity.
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