Latest news with #Data
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
CNLU prof ranked among world's top 10 legal scholars
Patna: Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) adjunct professor Nehaluddin Ahmad, who also serves as a senior professor at Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University (UNISSA) in Brunei, has secured a prestigious position in the 2025 edition of the AD Scientific Index. He has been ranked 10th globally in the field of law and legal studies. CNLU registrar S P Singh said Ahmad has also been ranked number one in all of Asia. In recognition of his outstanding academic contributions, he received the prestigious Teacher Excellence Award (Anugerah Guru Cemerlang) in 2024 from His Majesty the King of Brunei. Ahmad has authored over 300 research articles and more than two dozen books. His work on property law was cited in a 2016 ruling by the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra. On the global policy front, his article "Restrictions on Cryptography in India – A Case Study of Encryption and Privacy" was referenced in a European Commission study titled "New Challenges to Data Protection." His 2018 article "Bitcoin: Is it Really Legal? An Overview" (published in the Computer and Telecommunications Law Review, Vol. 24, Issue 3, pp. 59-65) was cited by the European Parliament's Special Committee on Financial Crimes, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance (TAX3), underscoring his impact in the field of financial regulation and digital currency law. Ahmad's scholarly work has been cited by academics from some of the world's leading institutions, including the University of Oxford, Yale University, University of Cambridge, Cornell University, SOAS University of London, University of Massachusetts, New York University, and the National University of Singapore. His contributions have also been referenced by universities in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and India, said Singh.
Technical.ly
5 days ago
- Business
- Technical.ly
WTF are data centers, and why is everyone fighting about them?
Data centers are making headlines, but the unremarkable facades of these facilities offer little hint of the powerful technology housed inside. As the demand for AI grows, the data centers that power our digital world are needed to process the massive quantity of information required for the tech. Yet, these facilities are often criticized for their energy use and environmental impacts. A better understanding of this infrastructure is key to understanding what future developments could mean for your community. Keep reading for a crash course on what data centers actually are, how they're tied to AI and why they're raising environmental concerns. ➡️ Jump to a section: • What is a data center? • Why do data centers exist? • How are data centers connected to AI? • How much power do data centers use? • How has energy usage changed over time? • What are the environmental impacts of data centers? • What does this all mean for a natural resource like water? • What's it like to live near a data center? What is a data center? A data center is a physical space — a room, building or multi-building facility — that houses IT infrastructure. Mainly, these sites store large collections of servers, or computers that are designed to store and process data. There are an estimated 5,426 data centers in the US as of March 2025, according to Statista. This far outpaces other leading countries, like Germany, the UK and China, which only have a few hundred. Virginia has long been home to the country's largest cluster, known as ' Data Center Alley,' but they exist all over the country. In the greater Pittsburgh area, for example, there are 35 data centers, according to the market research group Data Center Map, which offers a region-by-region count. However, since there are no regulatory requirements to register the facilities in any sort of central database, this map is just an estimate. Why do data centers exist? In the information age, data production and storage are the building blocks of the digital world. Every day, people send large files through Gmail, post on Facebook, shop on Amazon, download movies from Netflix and do countless other things that generate data. All that information has to go somewhere, and that place is what we call 'the cloud.' But despite the name, the cloud isn't a faraway place in the sky. When someone stores data 'in the cloud,' it's still saved on physical disk drives, just not on your personal device. Instead, it's housed in servers located in data centers. In fact, 'the cloud' is often just shorthand for the core service that data centers provide: storing, processing and delivering data at scale. In 2024, the world generated, captured, copied and consumed an estimated 149 zettabytes of data, according to Statista. For reference, data storage is measured in bytes. While it can vary, a single character, like the letter Y, takes one byte to store. A zettabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. How are data centers connected to AI? Data centers have existed for 80 years, but the public's interest in them has increased dramatically with the rising popularity of artificial intelligence. AI-focused companies require a massive amount of data to train their machine learning models. These models also require significant computational power to produce valuable outputs. As AI tools become more widely adopted, the demand for data centers also increases because all of the data needed to run AI programs needs to be processed somewhere. That's why graphics processing units (GPUs) have become so important in recent years. The technology can simultaneously perform the multiple complex computations needed to train and run machine learning models. These GPUs are inside the servers that are housed in data centers. How much power do data centers use? Data centers run 24/7, and along with powering servers, there are backup generators and cooling systems that need power, too. In the US, data centers consume about 4% of the nation's electricity, according to a 2024 report by the US Department of Energy. By 2028, that's expected to jump to about 7% to 12%. That equals 325 to 580 terawatt-hours. For comparison, one terawatt-hour could power the whole state of California for a week and a half. Breaking that down, though, OpenAI's Sam Altman has said an average ChatGPT query uses just 0.34 watt-hours, 'about what an oven would use in a little over one second, or a high-efficiency lightbulb would use in a couple of minutes.' How has energy usage changed over time? Data centers use a lot of energy, but traditionally, they haven't done so very efficiently. An investigation over a decade ago found that data centers only used about 6% to 12% of the electricity powering their servers to actually perform computations. The rest of the power was mostly used to keep servers ready for a surge in activity that would slow down or crash operations. A more recent study found that Microsoft's data centers reached over 60% server utilization rate, meaning energy was used more efficiently. Other major companies like Amazon have claimed their data centers are becoming more energy efficient, but it's still hard to say how energy efficient data centers are today. What are the environmental impacts of data centers? Like any other type of facility, a data center's environmental impact will somewhat depend on the type of energy it uses. Some of the facilities are powered by clean energy, like wind or solar, but others aren't. Data centers in some regions have been cited for violating clean air regulations and have been identified as top stationary diesel polluters. Since data centers are hypervigilant to prevent power failures and potential crashes, these facilities often use banks of generators that emit diesel exhaust and nitrogen dioxide. Some major tech companies are actually getting farther away from their climate goals because of how much fossil fuel energy data centers use. Google's carbon emissions rose 48% and Microsoft's rose 30% because of data center power consumption. In response to the projected demand for data centers, utility companies are planning at least 10.8 gigawatts of gas-fired power plants and could delay the closures of at least 9.1 gigawatts of fossil-fuel power plants, according to a recent analysis by the nonprofit research firm Frontier Group. What does this all mean for a natural resource like water? There is also an environmental concern around the amount of water data centers use. Data centers generate a lot of heat from the amount of electricity they require, so they utilize water-based cooling systems to keep servers operating. A single data center can use up to five million gallons of drinking water per day, according to a report by Bloomberg. That drinking water is often treated with chemicals, so either it evaporates in the cooling process or it's rendered unsuitable for drinking or farming use. This means the large amount of water used by data centers is effectively removed from the local water cycle. On a global scale, data centers, driven by AI demand, are projected to use 4.2 to 6.6 billion cubic meters of water per year by 2027. For reference, the whole country of Denmark uses that amount of water each year. This comes at a time when climate change is driving freshwater scarcity across the globe. And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that data centers operate best in dry climates, meaning these facilities are often placed in water-stressed regions. What's it like to live near a data center? Data centers do drive substantial economic growth in the US. Employment at US data centers grew more than 60% from 2016 to 2023, totalling over 500,000 jobs, according to the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the indirect positions created from new data centers, that job total is estimated to be closer to 4.7 million. While more jobs may be created in regions where the centers are built, it can be unpleasant to live near these facilities. Nearby residents have complained that data centers produce a constant leaf-blower-like sound. Some say they've had medical complications because of the constant noise. Others have claimed that nearby data centers have caused constant low water pressure in their homes and emit light pollution. Also, energy costs can be higher in these areas. Utility companies have been found to pass on some of the costs of powering these facilities to nearby utility customers. sign non-disclosure agreements to keep details of future data centers under wraps.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Small-cap stocks: A closer look at seasonal trends
Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre, who also hosts Yahoo Finance's podcast Stocks in Translation, breaks down the seasonal market patterns of small-cap stocks. In particular, he focuses on the Russell 2000 (^RUT), the presidential cycle's impact on small-cap market moves, and how things are shaping up a little differently this year. Catch more Stocks in Translation here, with new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here. Sign in to access your portfolio
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Business Standard
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
EY, Deloitte step up tech, business consulting hiring: Amrop study
A study into two of the leadership and hiring trends at the largest Big Four advisory firms has shown technology, business consulting and tax among the top growth practices for EY India and Deloitte India. 'There is a huge consistency in this report in terms of focus areas for the Big Four firms. It is also indicative of where the good opportunity lies for those who want to move to Big Four firms,' said Prashant Yadav, Partner, Digital & Technology, Amrop India. The study, conducted by Amrop, a leadership search and executive advisory services company, said: 'The Big 4 consulting firms have been growing Advisory practices – business consulting, technology consulting, deals and risk – at over 2x of historical growth rates. Tax practices have also grown significantly.' The Amrop report shows that hiring and promotions for technology consulting saw the highest growth of 40 per cent at Deloitte, while business consulting was the highest growing vertical with 24 per cent growth at EY India between February 2023 and January 2025. The study found that Deloitte has invested aggressively in acquiring deals and capabilities and continues to invest more selectively. 'Deloitte has had higher attrition, largely involuntary, since Jan '25. The attrition numbers in 2025 are expected to be much higher than in previous years,' the Amrop report said. It reported annual attrition below 1 per cent for both firms. While gender diversity for new hires was in the lower range for both EY – 3 per cent – and Deloitte – 8 per cent – in terms of promotion it was higher at 20 and 23 per cent respectively, according to the study. At EY, the technology sector across services and products accounted for 29 per cent of overall hiring, with other Big Four firms the second largest source for talent. For Deloitte, almost half of the hiring – 47 per cent – has been from the Big Four, followed by technology sectors – 34 per cent – while rapidly scaling practices. Within technology practice constituents, both firms have seen higher growth in Oracle compared to Microsoft. For Deloitte, Oracle growth has been thrice that of Microsoft. The highest growing area within tech for both Deloitte and EY has been SAP – Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing. Digital transformation and data & analytics are the other tech constituents seeing high growth in terms of hiring and promotion. In terms of location, Mumbai and Bengaluru have seen the highest growth for Deloitte, while Mumbai and NCR are on top of the location heatmap for EY. Deloitte and EY together have over 2,000 partners and drive over 60 per cent of Big Four revenues, according to the report. The study states that EY is the market leader with the maximum number of partners and revenue of over ₹13,000 crore. Deloitte, Amrop said, was the second-largest firm by number of partners, with revenue of over ₹9,000 crore, and has been investing heavily in people at leadership levels.
Hospitality Net
12-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
The Hotel Company of the Future (What Happens When You Ditch the Three-Legged Stool)
Imagine a hotel company that doesn't rely on a Frankenstein-esque business model cobbled together from a franchise, a management company, and a brand – each with their own agenda, their own KPIs, and absolutely zero alignment. Imagine instead a sleek, modern, hospitality-first, customer-centric organization that actually makes sense. So yes, that's what the Hotel Company of the Future looks like. No, it's not flying through space or handing out holographic mojitos (yet) but it does something even more impressive: it works. Efficiently. Cohesively. Profitably. And above all – with the guest in mind. So, what are the secret components behind this hospitality masterpiece? Glad you asked – let's dive in. No Franchises, No Funny Business This company is not a franchise. Let me repeat: NOT a franchise. Because as I explain in both books Hospitality 2.0 and Hotel Tech 101, the franchise model is basically the hospitality industry's version of trying to run a restaurant with three chefs who all hate each other and refuse to share recipes. It doesn't work. That dreaded three-legged stool (a Frankenstein's monster assembled from franchisor, franchisee, and third-party manager duct-taped together) is simply dysfunctional. Instead, the company is fully owned and operated – or at least operated – by a single, accountable entity. No brand pyramids. No licensing drama. Just one company with full control and full responsibility. That means consistency, agility, clarity and one version of reality – without the need to decode ancient scrolls of brand standards or channel a shaman. Modern, Agile, and Ready to Pivot This is not your grandmother's hospitality group. The company of the future is sleek, nimble, and allergic to 'this is how we've always done it.' It's built to adapt, evolve, and – gasp – invest in things like technology before it becomes outdated. This company isn't afraid of failure because it prototypes fast, learns faster, and moves on even faster. Think agile sprints, not five-year waterfall roadmaps that never actually leave the dock. Leadership here isn't obsessed with corner offices and gold-plated titles – they're obsessed with growth, change, and guest impact. Cloud-Based Integrated Tech Stack with Middleware Magic At the core of this futuristic engine is a fully cloud-based, modular tech stack (primarily composed of best-of-breed third-party solutions, with some core components developed in-house to reflect and reinforce the brand's unique identity). Not just duct-taped APIs but real integration – connected through powerful intelligent middleware that makes even the most stubborn legacy systems show up on time, behave, and say please and thank you. A centralized Customer Data Platform (CDP) ensures that every guest touchpoint is not just remembered but anticipated. Your guest likes soft lighting, a room at 68°F, and obscure Icelandic jazz? Done. The tech stack doesn't just support operations; it powers personalization, drives decisions, and turns data into actual revenue. Redesigned Operations: No More Silos Traditional hotel companies have departments that act like estranged relatives – awkwardly smiling in the family photo while secretly blaming each other for everything. But the hotel company of the future? It works like a single organism. Operations, sales, marketing, revenue, finance – everyone is pulling the same cart in the same direction. Instead of reenacting a Russian fable where progress dies a dramatic death in a tug-of-war between a crayfish, a swan, and a nostalgic pike – this crew actually rows like they've got a common destination. KPIs are shared. Incentives are aligned. Everyone is driving toward one outcome: sustainable profit and guest satisfaction. This isn't utopia. It's just what happens when you stop rewarding people for hitting conflicting goals. Not rocket science, really. Profit, Not Just RevPAR Top-line revenue is a vanity metric. It's like bragging about the size of your grocery cart without realizing it's full of broccoli and no one's eating. The real target is profit. Not just for investors, but for the survival and scalability of the business. This company tracks NetTotalRevPAR, cost of acquisition, labor cost per occupied room, ROAS, displacement – you name it. Every decision is grounded in how it affects the bottom line, not how many heads were in beds on a Tuesday. Meet RPOP: The Mechanism Behind It All At the center of this whole operation is RPOP – the Revenue and Profit Optimization Platform. This isn't just a beefed-up RMS. This is a command center for your entire commercial strategy. It forecasts real demand using real-time, external and internal signals. It doesn't just set prices for your hotel rooms – it also guides marketing spends, supports sales strategies, and helps ops decide whether you need ten housekeepers or two and a robot dog. It's intelligent, cloud-based, scalable, and shockingly good at diplomacy – it gets all departments talking to each other (in profit language terms). One Commercial Leader to Unite Them All Instead of having five mid-level directors arguing over who gets credit for that last group booking, there's one unified leader: the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). This person isn't a referee – they're a strategist. They oversee all commercial departments, report directly to the CEO, and have the authority (and budget) to drive real change. The CCO isn't bogged down in spreadsheets – they're focused on orchestrating commercial symphonies with the help of RPOP, ensuring every department is playing the same song. And most importantly, this person is a data native – someone who comes from the revenue management world, where decision-making is built on numbers, not gut feelings or the shape of the moon. Former revenue leaders are uniquely equipped for this role because they've already been trained to think holistically, connect dots across departments, and measure success in terms that actually show up on a P&L. If anyone understands the power of unified data, demand forecasting, and profit optimization – it's them. Lean Scalable Operations, Powered by Automation Thanks to automation, this company runs lean – like, actually lean, not 'we cut everyone and now ops is on fire' lean. Routine tasks are handled by tech. Forecasting, rate updates, reporting – all done by machines. That frees up staff to focus on what tech can't do: thinking strategically, building relationships, and making guests feel like rockstars. Labor costs go down, service quality goes up. Everyone wins. Even the robot dog. The Guest Is Still the Star Here's the twist: despite all the AI, automation, cloud platforms, and algorithmic wizardry, this is still a hospitality-first company. Not tech-first. Not finance-first. Hospitality-first. Guest satisfaction is a core metric. Not just because it looks good in the annual report, but because it actually drives loyalty, reputation, and long-term success. Guest satisfaction fuels loyalty, word-of-mouth marketing, five-star reviews, and repeat business – the holy grail of sustainable profitability. It's not just about avoiding complaints; it's about creating 'wow' moments that guests actually remember (and ideally, post about). Whether it's the room lighting adjusting automatically to their preference or the local snack waiting with a handwritten note that doesn't feel like it was mass-produced by ChatGPT, guests feel seen and appreciated. This hotel company isn't interested in cookie-cutter service – it's about delivering a consistent brand experience with room for personalization. Guests feel known, cared for, and occasionally surprised (in the thoughtful, 'how did they know I love chamomile tea?' kind of way, not the 'is this a social experiment?' way). Because yes, technology runs the engine. Profits make the world go round. But hospitality? That's still the heart. Brand Consistency, Local Flavor Finally, the brand. It's clear, consistent, and unforgettable. Guests know what to expect: comfort, tech-enabled ease, and a brand that delivers on its promise. They walk into any of your branded properties and know the vibe, the standards, and the service level they can count on – yet they still get that unique local flavor that makes it feel fresh, exciting, and rooted in place. It's not cookie-cutter. It's cupcake-with-regional-frosting. Familiar yet exciting, like a great sequel that doesn't ruin the original. The Final Unboxing This hotel company isn't hypothetical. It's the blueprint for what's possible when we stop settling for what's 'traditional' and start building what actually works. It's lean, intelligent, coordinated, scalable, guest-centric, and fiercely profitable. Now the only question is: who's bold enough to build it? Ira Vouk Ira Vouk Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
