The Soaring Demand for Servers: Examining the Surge During the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Influence of AI on Increased Usage
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic and the never-ending demand for storage and processing power have rapidly increased server usage across industries as businesses and individuals adapt to remote work and digital transformation. Moreover, the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications has further accelerated server usage. This article delves into the quantitative impact of the pandemic on server usage.
Increased Server Usage During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Remote Work Transition
The sudden shift to remote work due to the pandemic has led to a substantial surge in server usage. According to a study by Cisco, global server workloads grew by 10.9% from 2019 to 2020, primarily due to the transition to remote work arrangements (Cisco Global Cloud Index, 2020).
Virtual Communication and Collaboration
The demand for video conferencing platforms and collaborative tools has skyrocketed. For instance, Zoom experienced a staggering rise in usage, with daily meeting participants surging from just 10 million in December 2019 to over 300 million in April 2020 (Zoom Video Communications, Inc., 2020), while the number of global remote workers tripled from 5.7% in 2019 to 17.9% in 2020. This dramatic increase in virtual communication further amplified the need for robust server infrastructure.
E-commerce Surge
The closure of brick-and-mortar stores during the pandemic has led to a dramatic upswing in online shopping. With the e-commerce sector witnessing a significant surge, server usage in this industry has soared. Online retail giant Amazon reported an increase of 44% in sales during the second quarter of 2020 necessitating substantial server capacity to manage the surging online transactions.
The Influence of AI on Increased Server Usage
Data-Intensive AI Processing
AI applications, such as machine learning and deep learning, require massive computational power and substantial data storage capabilities. As a result, the growth of AI has significantly contributed to increased server usage. A study by OpenAI reveals that from 2012 to 2018, the amount of computational power used in the largest AI training tasks has been doubling approximately every 3.4 months.
AI-Powered Services
The deployment of AI-driven services, including virtual assistants, recommendation systems, and predictive analytics, has surged during the pandemic. For example, the global Artificial Inteligence Outlook is projected to reach USD 163.6 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 19% from 2023 to 2026 (Global Data, 2023). These services rely heavily on server infrastructure to process vast amounts of data and deliver real-time results.
Quantitative Impact: Server Usage Statistics
Server Usage Growth during the Pandemic According to Technavio Data Center Server Market rose by 15% on average from 2019 onwards. This data indicates a substantial rise in server usage during the pandemic.
Data center power consumption, by providers/ enterprises
A study by McKinsey & Co. indicates that since 2014 starting at 7 gigawatts (GW) and reaching 17 GW in 2022 the server power consumption will continue to increase and reach 35 gigawatts by 2030. The United States of America holds around 40 percent of the global server market.
Cloud Computing Impact
Cloud-based services have witnessed significant growth resulting from increased server usage. According to a report by Statista, the global public cloud service market is projected to reach USD 678.8 billion in 2024, compared to USD 243 billion in 2019 (Statista, 2024). This expansion illustrates the growing reliance on server infrastructure to support cloud-based services.
KillDisk Industrial: A Key Player in Server Maintenance
Seeing the rapid development and increase in data servers LSoft Technologies Inc. has developed KillDisk Industrial which has emerged as a leading solution for server maintenance. KillDisk Industrial supports more than 20 sanitation standards including U.S. DoD 5220.22-M and an unlimited number of disks erased as well as parallel erasure of up to 100 disks, making it the best and the most cost-effective data maintenance tool on the market. KillDisk Industrials features such as the automated creation of custom certificates, labels, and reports ensure effortless and standardized data maintenance.
Conclusion
The new industrial revolution and COVID-19 pandemic have propelled the demand for servers to unprecedented levels as businesses adapt to remote work, digital transformation, and increased online activity. The rise of AI applications further accelerates server usage due to data-intensive processing and AI-powered services. Quantitative data showcases the significant growth in server usage during the pandemic. KillDisk Industrial, with its robust features for server maintenance, offers organizations a solution to meet the challenges posed by increased server usage during the pandemic and the growth of AI.
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