Data centers are expensive but open-source technology and nonprofits can show the way

It can be forgotten but “the cloud” is a more nebulous concept, a metaphor. Data centers meanwhile are racks of computers and memory storage and cables connecting them together; real-world physical objects that are commonly held in a cooled and well-ventilated building to remove the heat so many computers generate.

Data centers are also very, very expensive.

This was the message from Pete Herlihy, a principal product manager and lead on digital public infrastructure at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He explained why: It’s never enough to have one, you should have at least two for back-up. They should be geographically distant so you need two physical locations so both cannot be taken out in one fell swoop. To operate them, “deep skills” are required, the infrastructure, energy supply, replacement components, water and cooling. And this is before you get to cybersecurity and workload considerations.

“Friends don’t let friends run data centers,” he quipped.

Herlihy was speaking at MOSIP Connect 2025 in a discussion called ‘Computing Solutions for Emerging Markets’ alongside Miroslaw Malinowski from the University of Warwick and Anusree Jayakrishnan from the Centre of Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI).

Since costs can run into the billions of dollars to build and operate data centers, Herlihy said they have a “menu” of options at AWS to provide solutions. These include “Local Zones” and “Outposts” with the former fully owned, managed and operated by AWS. He underlined that it was not always commercially feasible for smaller countries to run their own data centers.

While Herlihy talked about data centers, which is his main area of business and expertise, the session was around the broader “Computing Solutions” and Malinowski said he preferred open-source solutions. This is in line with the original ideals from which the Internet as we know it emerged. There is no siloed World Wide Web (unless it’s been censored by an authoritarian government) and there is a venerable tradition of open source in the technology community. But he understood the technical challenges of scaling and the expertise that is needed.

Malinowski is assisting researchers and developers at the Alan Turing Institute who are developing non-profit technology solutions for emerging markets and smaller countries. MOSIP also has its “MOSIP-in-a-box”, a lightweight package designed to help smaller countries implement DPI and digital identity systems. Sivananda Lanka, VP of engineering at MOSIP, has explained the concept as scaling down MOSIP, which is designed to support populations of 100 million, down to 100,000.

Jayakrishnan brought up DaaS (DPI-as-a-packaged solution), which marked a recent milestone as it went live in Trinidad and Tobago in February. The aim of DaaS is to rapidly deploy DPI by avoiding procurement routes and upgrading existing infrastructure with its proponents claiming it can “exponentially increase” benefits to society in a relatively short space of time.

But Jayakrishnan said having the tech package is not enough as you have to make sure the country has the capacity and that there is a minimum viable checklist. But with DaaS’ objective of “crunching the timeline,” as Jayakrishnan put it, this can certainly reduce costs.

On MOSIP Connect 2025’s third day, Shah Mahmood of the Alan Turing Institute led a workshop on cybersecurity and introduced the work of the organization in this field to the audience. The Institute, which is based in the UK and is a non-profit, has developed privacy-conscious digital ID solutions and a Privacy Impact Assessment for identity systems that help system integrators identify cyber threats. Since it is “totally free,” as Mahmood said, the tools could certainly be of use to countries with smaller budgets. The Institute can also provide training (funding is provided by the Gates Foundation).

Follow all our coverage from MOSIP Connect 2025.