Alphabet spin-off defines new datacenter concept

A new company whose aim is to build the next generation of more resilient datacenters that promote the transition to a sustainable energy system. This is Verrus, presented as a spin-off from Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), which in turn was founded as a spin-off from Sidewalk Labs, the urban innovation arm of Alphabet Inc., parent company of Google.

Over the years, SIP has focused on the challenges posed by the growth of datacenters and last June organised a meeting with members of the ecosystem, including utilities, regulators and hyperscalers. The conclusion was that there is a long way to go before we get to where we need to be. And to reach that ideal point, there needs to be close collaboration between datacenter developers and grid operators so that it is possible to meet the growing demand for computing, particularly Artificial Intelligence, without overloading the electricity grids.

In this context, Verrus was born. The aim is to rethink datacenter design, with flexible and efficient infrastructures adapted to both conventional and Artificial Intelligence workloads.

In more detail, Verrus’ idea is to adapt datacenter infrastructure to changing requirements over time and to real workload demands. For example, separate server rooms can house availability-sensitive computing systems, such as web searches, and flexible batch operations, such as AI training. This workload-specific approach can maximise efficiency.

In addition, Verrus intends to share energy assets between rooms to improve their utilisation, adapting dynamically to demand rather than sitting idle. It may also adopt sustainable battery storage at grid scale, instead of carbon-intensive diesel generators. These batteries would be triggered when the power grid fails.

The new Verrus has also published a technical document in which it summarises the discussions held with interested groups and shares a perspective on how to develop datacenters that can achieve economic and national security goals while benefiting electricity systems.

Three main characteristics of the Verrus concept

Power grids overloaded by the imbalance between energy supply and demand are often forcing datacenters offline during peak periods. In addition, diesel backup generators are no longer sufficient in prolonged emergency cases, even though they produce large volumes of carbon emissions. Against this backdrop, Verrus is presenting a new generation of flexible and efficient datacenters, adapted to both conventional and AI workloads.

The solutions restructure the way datacenters consume energy, meeting growing computing demands while guaranteeing the stability of power grids. These solutions have the following characteristics:

More flexibility without compromising availability: The electrical systems architecture and energy management solution proposed by Verrus make it possible to supply power continuously when needed and in a more elastic way to meet the needs of, for example, AI training models and other forms of batch computing.

Less stress for power grids: Verrus’ energy optimisation approach collaborates with utilities to guarantee grid support without compromising customer demands.

Reducing carbon emissions: By replacing fossil fuel generators with intelligently managed batteries, Verrus’ energy orchestration technology makes it possible to operate datacenters in a more sustainable way.