As artificial intelligence continues to grow in the media world, The Greater Omaha Chamber and Scott Data Center have partnered to create a data center in Omaha. The goal of this nonprofit data center is to make Omaha an epicenter for AI innovation in the Midwest. The data center will help businesses implement AI technology that can be necessary for their business growth.
“We are building Omaha into a city of the future, where cutting-edge technology, strategic vision and momentum blaze a trail for future generations,” Heath Mello, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber, said.
Scott Data Center is partnering up with engineering students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to help students design and build their projects. This will expand the application of AI in UNL’s College of Engineering and overall student involvement with AI.
“The College of Engineering has a long history in research and education in artificial intelligence,” Lance C. Pérez, Fred Hunzeker Dean of Engineering said, “and the AI makerspace is the next step in that effort.”
This partnership is intended for students to use a higher level of computing and expertise in their work as well as developing new ideas and collaborating with others. It will also prepare the next generation of students to be ready for AI. This will benefit engineering students looking for partnerships in the industry.
However, there can be drawbacks to the growth of AI. AI data centers use a lot of electricity and heat, which can be harmful to the environment. As more data centers are demanded to be put up, the environment is put at risk. AI models require thousands of megawatt hours of electricity, which also releases carbon. For example, a single AI model emits the same amount of carbon as hundreds of households do.
On the flip side, initiatives are being taken to ensure environmental stability when it comes to AI data centers. There have been advancements to cooling infrastructures, reducing energy use and reducing the size of the AI models. The terms “net zero” emissions and “water positive” are goals that these data centers are pursuing.
