The Future of the Internet

From 4k video, to 3-D, to virtual realityand beyond, we’re in love with rich, immersive media. As content on the Internet has become moredynamic, the amount of bandwidth we consume has skyrocketed, driving innovation in deliveryand storage technology. This is a look at the future of Internet infrastructure. The activity you’re engaged in right now— streaming a video — is driving massive growth in the amount of data that’s beingtransferred. For perspective on how much data we’re consuming,853 1.2 megabyte 5.25 inch floppy disks — like what Oregon Trail used to come on — equals1 gigabyte. And there are 1,000 gigabytes in the 1 terabytehard drives many of us have in our computers. In 2016, global IP traffic passed a zettabytefor the first time. That’s one billion terabytes. Internet video accounted for half that bandwidth. But in 2021, total worldwide traffic is projectedto nearly triple to 3.3 zettabytes—that’s 3.3 trillion gigabytes of data. More than two thirds of that traffic willbe Internet video, with IPTV like netflix taking up another 22%. To keep up with the increasing demand fordata and high-speed connections, service providers have been driven to expand their network infrastructuresand initiate projects like Google Fiber, heating up the competition. As a result, installation of large capacity100Gb ethernet equipment grew 450% year-over-year in 2016. Google is also planning to use wireless alternativesthat can deliver gigabit per second speeds to reach remote areas where it’s too expensiveto set up Fiber. The other advancement we’ll see is the developmentof ultrafast 5G networks. In 2016 the Obama administration announceda $400m, seven year public-private partnership — spearheaded by the National Science Foundation— to jumpstart the effort. 5G will handle 1,000 times the traffic at10 times the speed of existing 4G and LTE networks. Not only will you be able to download an HDmovie in under 1 second, but it will free up bandwidth to make room for what’s onthe horizon. Virtual Reality is incredibly data intensive,and soon millions of driverless cars will hit the road as billions of additional Internetconnected devices come online. The Internet of Things is an absolute game-changer. Nearly every machine and many objects thataren’t — like our clothes — will be connected to the Internet. [John Volakis] “They’re washable, theycan be embedded in electronics. I think eventually what we look forward tois to have circuitry, memory, as well as computer functionality to be embedded within wearablecircuits.” You’ll be able to monitor your householdappliances from your smartphone, buildings will be able to self monitor to detect wearand tear and factories will anticipate when its machinery — or more accurately, it’srobots — will break down, utility grids will communicate with energy providers andcustomers in real time, and cities will become smart as traffic lights, trash cans, waterand gas lines will all be able to send service and condition updates, saving people valuabletime and resources. This explosion of data-producing devices willlead to a revolution in how all that data is stored. The data center industry is one of the world’smost competitive markets. In addition to investing in adequate securitymeasures, companies big and small must make their facilities run as efficiently as possible. The widespread adoption of uninterrupted powersupply and cooling systems are driving energy reductions that weren’t possible even fiveyears ago. Thermal management units and an expanded useof free cooling technology is creating energy savings of up to 70%. And by harvesting the power of our naturalenvironments like higher altitude locations, night-time coldness, deep sea or lakewater,and subterranean geothermal energy, data centers are proving that the push to create a bettertomorrow doesn’t have to doom future generations. In 2014 data centers in the United Stateswere responsible for 2% of national energy consumption, but thanks to new technologythat figure that won’t grow significantly—even as the amount of storage facilities does. Another focal point is on speeding up thetime it takes to install new capacity. This is being achieved by pre-fabricatingnew facilities off-site, cutting development time by 50%. And the next generation of datacenters willuse robots to make the system even more efficient. [Jason Hoffman]“The reality is, when you look at all server storage networking design, the intention isthat a human being walks up and pulls something out and pushes it back in. Now if you ask the question of what if wehad all that done by robotic systems? What if we started physically automating theentire facility as well, then that changes everything.” A lot of these new facilities power the cloud,which is becoming the engine of futuristic economic growth. But some companies are putting so much datainto the cloud, they need Amazon Web Services’ Snowmobile shipping container-sized data-transferservice. It picks up to 100 petabytes of data fromits customers for high-speed transfer into the cloud. In the near future, artificial Intelligencewill become pervasive and cognitive capabilities will help us analyze and manage the floodof data that’s on the horizon. All this infrastructure development will payhuge dividends. Right now, only half the human populationis online. As that number rises fast in the coming years,these newly connected places will be able to leapfrog the slower, less efficient infrastructureof the past. One technique — which could especially helpin rural areas — is Li-Fi, which uses light to transmit data. Harald Haas — who pioneered this technology— demonstrated it in a Ted Talk. [Harald Haas] “I can block the light ofthe solar cell. So first you notice the energy harvestingdrops and the video drops as well. If I remove the blockage, the video will restart.” [Applause] LiFi technology clearly has a long way togo, but it serves as a reminder that much of the internet infrastructure of tomorrowhasn’t been invented yet. Thanks for watching. Which technology do you think will have thebiggest impact, and what did we leave out? If you enjoyed this video hit the like buttonand subscribe. And stay tuned, we’ll be profiling aspectsof the future and key innovations every week from here on out. Until next time, for TDC, I’m Bryce Plank.