3.4 The Cloud Computing Era (Mid 2000s-Present)

The mid-2000s marked the beginning of the cloud computing era, which has dramatically reshaped the data center landscape. This period has seen unprecedented growth in data center capacity and capabilities.

The Rise of Cloud Giants

Companies like Amazon (with AWS), Google, and Microsoft began offering cloud computing services, allowing organizations to rent computing resources on-demand. This led to the construction of massive-scale data centers, often called "hyperscale" facilities.