Novva Data Centers continues to make headlines with its futuristic security employee, WIRE. Short for “Wes’ Industrious Robot Employee,” WIRE’s latest feature in the December issue of Data Center Dynamics Magazine speaks not only to the futuristic components of Novva’s Utah data center but to the role that robotics and automation will play in the future of the industry as a whole. 

A topic Novva CEO Wes Swenson is well versed on and passionate about, the addition to robotics within the data center environment is one that blends AI and best practices for security monitoring and patrolling. Swenson speaks to the value of allowing human employees the chance to put energy and effort into less mundane tasks that can otherwise be handled through automation and AI. 

WIRE is a custom iteration of the Boston Dynamics SPOT robot, with advanced programming and software that allows the robot to provide both security and equipment monitoring to the center. The engineering department at Brigham Young University spent just under a year working directly with the Wes and team tailoring and upgrading the Boston Dynamics robot to meet the unique needs of their data center. 

While Novva plans to continue to upgrade and customize WIRE in the future, Swenson emphasizes that robotics are not a replacement for humans. Instead, he sees technology like this as “a complement to the human side of the business.” 

You can read more about WIRE on page 48 of the December issue of DCD Magazine here: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/magazines/issue-43-why-do-we-need-a-quantum-internet/