Digital Realty data centre becomes home to SuperComputer

Author: Simon Rowley

Sesterce, a company helping to shape the future of artificial intelligence with high-performance GPU SuperComputers, today announced the launch of a new SuperComputer featuring NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs hosted in Digital Realty’s data centre in Marseille, France.

The state-of-the-art SuperComputer helps to tackle the growing demand for powerful cloud GPU solutions and offers a decarbonised AI as service to Sesterce’s customers.

The cluster is equipped with NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs interconnected through InfiniBand technology. These cards provide excellent scalability and performance, contributing to optimal energy efficiency for AI. With this SuperComputer, Sesterce empowers clients to develop highly scalable AI projects with optimal performance and sustainability, providing flexibility for AI projects of any size.

The use of AI has been democratised, resulting in demand for storage capacity and computing power continuing to rise. In 2023, France had over 600 start-ups dedicated to AI in the country – a 24% increase since 2021 – and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years. However, this exceptional growth parallels a significant rise in energy consumption, raising environmental concerns.

Youssef El Manssouri, CEO of Sesterce, comments, “Actors in the field have a role to play. Those that share the same values should work together to offer more environmentally responsible computing power.”

This breakthrough was made possible through collective efforts. The cluster will benefit directly from Digital Realty’s ongoing programme dedicated to minimising the environmental impact of its data centres. These actions include enhancing energy efficiency and procuring renewable energy with a strong focus on locally sourced renewables, ensuring that its entire European portfolio continues to be matched with 100% renewable energy.

Additionally, Digital Realty is committed to achieving carbon neutrality across its European data centre portfolio by 2030, alongside a 68% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions globally (against a 2018 baseline), and a 24% reduction in Scope 3 emissions globally within the same timeframe.

Youssef adds, “This cluster relies on the synergy of skills, with each party bringing the best of their expertise to create and offer an intensive-ready cluster.”

This cluster marks a turning point in the field, the companies believe, demonstrating a successful marriage between technical innovation and sustainability.

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