Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this month.
Sewer AI
Southern Water has recently begun using AI to spot blockages in its sewer system before they cause pollution or flooding. The utility has a network of 32,000 sewer-level digital sensors that constantly monitor flow. These send their data to the AI, which is trained to understand normal flow patterns in the sewer network and detect anomalies.
Unlike traditional monitoring systems, the AI can detect even slight changes, such as increased flow from rain or unusual backups, which might indicate the early signs of issues, such as fatbergs. This enables Southern Water to address problems early before they escalate. Indeed, the technology has already prevented homes in East Lavington from being flooded with backed-up wastewater caused by a blockage.
The adoption of AI is part of a larger digital transformation aimed at decreasing pollution. The utility has already seen a 40% reduction in internal flooding and a 15% decrease in external flooding since the technology was implemented.
Green AI Hub
The former Ravenscraig steelworks in North Lanarkshire is set to become one of the largest green AI data centres in the UK, as part of a £3.9 billion AI Growth Zone project, led by energy developer Apatura. With land and grid access already secured, the plan is currently being reviewed by the government, which is seeking to develop AI Growth Zones to expand the infrastructure the UK needs for AI.
The proposed development will be fully powered by renewable energy and have on-site battery storage facilities. It will also create nearly 2,400 jobs, with more than 1,000 of those being permanent positions in North Lanarkshire. An independent study has suggested the data centre could boost Scotland’s annual GDP by 0.4%.
The development is part of a larger regeneration plan for Ravenscraig, led by the local council. If approved, the project will help relieve pressure on the national grid while also helping the UK meet the growing demand for sustainable AI and data processing capabilities.
Cloud Cost Blind Spots
While the use of hybrid cloud in the UK and Ireland has reached an all-time high, recent research shows that over half of organisations using it do not have a clear understanding of their cloud costs. That lack of financial clarity makes it difficult for IT leaders to evaluate ROI or effectively optimise their cloud configurations.
Although many companies highlight improved agility as a benefit of cloud adoption, legacy on-site infrastructure remains a major obstacle, with over 70% of respondents claiming these outdated systems delay improvement. However, partnerships with managed service providers (MSPs), like eukhost, are on the rise, with MSP-supported projects more likely to meet objectives and stay on schedule.
Experts anticipate that as hybrid cloud becomes the new normal (Gartner predicts 90% of organisations will be using it by 2027), they will need to adopt FinOps practices to manage complications and costs. Without this strategic approach, many may face performance challenges and budget complications.
AI Coding Rise
The use of AI coding tools has increased globally, with developers in the US being the most active. According to recent research, which examined AI-generated Python functions on GitHub, 30.1% of these contributions came from the US, higher than those from Germany (24.3%), France (23.2%) and India (21.6%). The UK, Russia and China were even further behind.
Developments in generative AI, like GitHub Copilot and GPT-4, underpin the rapid adoption of AI tools by developers. Moreover, while senior engineers tend to be more cautious, junior developers, who are often already familiar with AI tools, use them more often.
Major companies like Microsoft and Google have previously acknowledged that AI now plays a key role in writing a large portion of internal code, and in the US, the practice is projected to generate up to $14.4 billion each year. However, the study highlights that the financial advantages are not evenly distributed and depend on how effectively businesses manage and incorporate AI-coding.
UK Firms Quit US Cloud
According to recent research, more than half of UK firms using public or hybrid cloud are looking to cut back or stop depending on US cloud providers. Around 95% of British IT leaders see data sovereignty as a growing issue, and 52% of these are taking measures to reduce their exposure to American technology companies.
The change in attitude has been influenced by political instability and concerns over US legal authority to access data protected by GDPR, following recent conflicts between the US government and the EU.
As sovereignty becomes a key focus, UK companies are increasingly reassessing their cloud setups to gain more control, trust and regional independence. One study reported that 91% of British organisations are already moving some workloads back to on-premises or migrating to providers whose data centres are located entirely within the UK, like eukhost. In response, some prominent cloud providers, like Microsoft and AWS, are introducing new rules on sovereignty given how geopolitical issues are influencing cloud strategies.
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