00:00Manager of Infrastructure and High Performance Computing at the University of the West Indies
00:05Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Centre Ravi Deonarine says that the proposed AI data
00:11centres that may be set up in this country are nothing to be feared but should rather be seen
00:16as an opportunity. I think it is a great opportunity to diversify away from energy. I
00:26more see it as an opportunity because the data centres wanted, the people who run data
00:34centres, they want diversity as in they want facilities that are spread out across locations
00:41so that they get close to the customers. They reduce latency and improve communication
00:51and they would also be looking for you know a favourable business environment maybe and
00:57maybe incentives and a good workforce, a skilled workforce to operate. He says the data centre
01:04can be seen more as a factory with input requirements that can be readily accessed in this country but
01:10proper infrastructure has to be put in place. In planning a factory, what the business proposal
01:18would want is a surety of supply and that would entail some sort of either investment in energy
01:25infrastructure and in or in diversifying supply, setting up new supplies so that the supply is assured.
01:34With regards to the use of water for the cooling process, Deonarine said it's not the only way to go
01:41and that a compromise can be found for the final project if it comes to pass.
01:45So what is usually sought is the most effective energy, least energy intense cooling method.
01:51So in certain countries where there's an available supply of water, evaporative cooling
01:58is most appropriate because that's the best trade off. Deonarine thinks that if it is approached and
02:04managed the right way, the AI data centres are nothing to be fearful of. You feel that we should be
02:11fearful of AI data centres being set up here?
02:16Um, I don't think so. That's why I just try to describe it as a factory.
02:21Yeah. It is a factory with certain requirements. Once we can engineer these requirements properly,
02:26we should be okay. So I really think the question is not if we should do it. It's really how
02:32do we do it
02:32right? How do we do it in such a way that the, that the population is, is comfortable with it?
02:39You know,
02:39be, be, um, transparent about the regulatory process and the, and resource management.
02:45Dominic Ramroop, TV6 News.
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