• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 29, 2012

Unstructured data like video will grow from 245 exabytes of data across the Internet in 2010 to 1,000 exabytes in 2015, according to Mark Papermaster, SVP and CTO at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), citing Cisco System specs. Companies will need about 10 million new servers in data centers. Papermaster spoke about the explosion of data and the entrance of surround computing at the Hot Chips conference.

Companies have already begun to build massive data centers to house information. Facebook recently filed papers for a third auxiliary building that would support two data centers in Prineville, Ore. Apple will build a 10,000-sq.-foot data center nearby on 160 acres.

Most online marketers haven't spent much time thinking about Intel or AMD semiconductors, but maybe it's time they start. Papermaster said mobile device clients remain the technology demanding more storage space in centralized data centers that will require loads of power to process natural interface voice, gesture and facial recognition; augmented reality; video game experiences; and audio-visual content.

Papermaster describes surround computing as a "world without keyboards or mice, where natural user interfaces based on voice and facial recognition redefine the PC experience, and where the cloud and clients collaborate to synthesize exabytes of image and natural language data." 

What happens when multiple data apps want access to the GPS coordinates and other personal information? Third-party developers tend to develop the apps, which look for consent and provisions to access data on the phone across social networks, maps, and email accounts. Many consumers give these Trojan Horses the permission to access and download information without realizing it. Consumers just need to click "Agree and Download."