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Feature
THE HIDDEN WORLD OF DATA CENTRES : SECRECY , BITCOIN MINING AND THE RACE FOR EFFICIENCY
By Eamonn Ryan
Despite data centres ’ growing ubiquity , these facilities remain shrouded in secrecy .
Data centres are increasingly becoming the backbone of the modern digital economy , powering everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence , e-commerce and cryptocurrency mining .
One of the most striking aspects of data centres is the level of secrecy surrounding their operations . The physical spaces that house these critical infrastructures are often completely closed off and unbranded , with only a handful of authorised individuals allowed access to certain areas . A striking example described by an industry professional was a brand-new data centre recently visited . Inside , entire sections of the facility were sealed off , with everything from HVAC systems to fire suppression equipment located outside the sealed section .
Even the data centre owners were kept in the dark about the contents of these sealed areas . The servers , for instance , arrived fully covered in black cloths , making it impossible to discern what was inside . The data centre itself remains focused solely on maintaining the ideal environment for its clients ' operations — temperature , humidity , power supply and security — while having no insight into what those clients actually do within the space .
THE RISE OF BITCOIN MINING Bitcoin mining has become an increasingly dominant use case for data centres , due to its immense energy demands . While traditional data centres host servers for businesses ranging from financial institutions to cloud service providers , cryptocurrency miners need enormous amounts of computing power to solve
Image by ASHRAE
ASHRAE temperature guidelines showing the recommended and allowable ranges .
complex algorithms and ‘ mine ’ new Bitcoin . These operations require specialised equipment , making them an attractive but highly secretive tenant for data centre providers .
According to an industry presentation , it is estimated that by 2035 , data centres could consume 14 % of the world ' s electricity . 1 This highlights the tremendous scale of power required to keep
1 https :// www . daimagister . com / resources / data-centre-ai /
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I January 2025 21