Data Centers
The Future of Tech in West Virginia
SAMANTHA CART
While for many, mention of the Mountain State invokes only scenic views, rustic coal mines and a slower pace of life, West Virginia has been leaning into the fast-moving high-technology industry for decades with investments from top employers like the Federal Bureau of Investigations, National Energy Technology Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U. S. Department of Defense.
Opportunities Arise
Demand has left the door to another high-technology sector wide open for West Virginia: data centers. In simple terms, a data center is a physical facility that houses computer systems, data storage and networking equipment. These elements are essential for IT infrastructure and the storing, processing and managing of large amounts of data.
The sizes of data centers range from modest to massive, including hyperscale data centers owned by large technology companies like Google, Meta and Microsoft. According to Josh Spence, chief information officer for West Virginia-based Alpha Innovations, hyperscale data centers are critical to powering large-scale artificial intelligence( AI) models, training algorithms and managing vast volumes of data in the cloud, providing the centralized computing power required for deep learning, analytics and enterprise-wide platforms.
However, as AI shifts from centralized systems to real-world applications, smaller facilities known as edge data centers are becoming just as essential.
“ These smaller, distributed facilities are located closer to where data is generated, such as in hospitals, factories or vehicles,” Spence says.“ They are designed to process data locally, which significantly reduces latency, or the time it takes for data to travel and return with a response. Reducing latency is crucial for time-sensitive operations.”
A few examples of real-time use include AI-assisted surgeries, precision robotics in manufacturing and autonomous logistics, which all rely on fast, local data processing.“ In these scenarios, milliseconds matter,” Spence says. According to Sarah Biller, co-founder of Vantage Ventures, West Virginia cannot miss the opportunity to lead through this major market transition and realize the impact of a global economy in upheaval as the world tries to figure out how to manage the ways AI is altering how we live, work and make decisions across industries.
“ There is opportunity in every crisis,” Biller says.
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