What's next for GreenM3 to focus on? Thinking 5 years out what will the data center industry be like

I started out in the data center industry working with some smart people who asked some tough questions

  1. What is the energy consumption of an application in a data center?
  2. What is a way for our company to be a thought leader in the data center industry?
  3. How should I apply product lifecycle management principles to the data center?

All these are questions in the past, and I have been getting kind of bored.  I left HP, Apple, and Microsoft because I got bored.  Boredom has bad effects.

Boredom is generally an unpleasant emotion, composed of a lack of stimulation and physiological arousal. Unfortunately, boredom is often associated with the academic setting of attending class and studying. That said, while academic boredom may be present in higher education, do we care?

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As stated by the authors, “the evidence in our studies suggests that boredom typically impairs attention, motivation, behavioral strategies, and performance in achievement settings. The pervasiveness of the boredom experienced by many students, coupled with its deleterious effects, clearly implies that educators, administrators, and policy makers responsible for the design of academic settings should pay more attention to this emotion.”

Last week another smart data center guy said in response to an e-mail.

It sure is an interesting time....I don't think anyone knows how it will turn out in 5 years.

Yeh, it is impossible to know what data centers will be like in 5 years.  But, then I thought about the question more.  

Five years from the data centers built are going to look different than what is currently industry standard.  So, what is known there will be change.  Who is the most aggressive and innovative?  There is media coverage for some data centers that are not leading others to be innovative.

Data Centers 5 years from now will be greener - more energy efficient and more renewable energy.  The cost of water will most likely grow faster than the cost of power.

There are actually many things that can be reasonably certain will occur 5 years from now.  Of the top data center operators who will be in the top 5 years from now. Who are the new companies?

What I like about thinking 5 years out is it is hard to get bored. :-)