Power & Cooling

Does inefficient power system design present a risk of complacency for Nordic Data Centres?

Cheap energy prices in the Nordics could lead to complacency and inefficient power system design if this issue is not addressed during data centre construction, says equipment hire specialist Aggreko. Thanks to a well-functioning and competitive electricity market bolstered by readily available renewable energy from hydropower, biomass, wind and geothermal sources, data centres in the area have traditionally benefitted from lower operational costs. However, this abundance of resources could result in complacency in ensuring efficient testing of energy infrastructure takes place. According to Aggreko, this is exacerbated by the rush to build more power-dense facilities to meet the world’s ever-increasing data demands. This ongoing trend could lead to unnecessarily inflated operational costs over a data centre’s lifetime, says Greger Ruud, Sector Development Manager at Aggreko. “The reliability of power supplies in the Nordics region, combined with the abundance of cheaper energy from renewable sources, has often been an enticing feature for organisations looking to build data centres in Scandinavia or Iceland. Yet this could present problems for data centre owners and operators later down the line as far as power systems are concerned, if complacency sets in.” He adds: “As cheap energy is so readily available, contractors may have different priorities than they would in the FLAP markets, specifically around ensuring necessary infrastructure is as efficient as possible. This would be a mistake – new facilities are expected to be increasingly power-dense to accommodate requirements for new and emerging data-hungry technologies. Consequently, not considering power efficiency at the design, construction and commissioning stages could lead to ongoing costs over a data centre’s lifecycle that could otherwise have been avoided.” Extensive power infrastructure testing represents one possible way of ensuring facilities operate optimally on a day-to-day basis when brought online. By accessing relevant expertise during the initial data centre construction phases, it is therefore possible to identify areas where inefficiencies exist within the energy infrastructure and resolve them beforehand, lowering operational costs. “When building data centres, it is important to look beyond the here-and-now, especially where initial expenses are concerned,” concludes Greger. “By engaging sector experts for testing in these crucial initial stages, site owners and operators can enjoy peace-of-mind, knowing that their power systems are as efficient as possible. “Indeed, over time, the cost savings realised by putting these processes in place early on will more than offset project commissioning costs. By bringing in and correctly implementing readily available testing expertise to drive down energy consumption, facility stakeholders can help future-proof power-dense facilities against the world’s exponentially growing demand for data.”

Will Rising Summer Temperatures Disrupt Cooling Processes?

The popularity of indirect free cooling of data centres in the Nordics region could place facilities at risk of corrosion if conditions are not correctly controlled this summer, according to temporary solutions specialists Aggreko. According to a recent market report by Arizton, the Nordic region can facilitate up to 8,400 hours of data centre free cooling annually due to its colder climate. Though incoming ambient air is filtered before entering the controlled data centre environment, this process can result in temperature rises of two to four degrees. When combined with rising summer temperatures, data centre sites may experience higher moisture levels that could lead to condensation forming and rising water temperatures. Keeping key data centre components like electrical distribution systems dry and within a certain temperature band phase is crucial to ensuring its continued running. According to Aggreko, not taking steps to account for changing temperatures during the construction phase could lead to long-term damage that could impair functionality and void warranties. “The ability to use the climate as a resource to help free-cool facilities is one of many reasons the Nordics region appeals to organisations looking to construct data centres,” says Greger Ruud, Sector Development Manager – Nordic Datacenters at Aggreko. “However, it must be noted that like any other region, there are fluctuations in temperature depending on geography and the seasons, so conditions will occur that make free cooling more challenging. “Site managers must therefore be aware that a rise in ambient air temperature will be reflected in the data centre environment, especially with filtration processes generating added heat. As such, plans should be put in place to cool facilities and maintain controlled conditions during the upcoming warmer months.” Additional cooling solutions like chillers and dry coolers may be used to ensure controlled temperatures during warmer periods. But with this further cooling capacity only required for a short but critical time period, expensive new equipment bought for this purpose will likely be redundant for long stretches. An innovative strategic hire approach may therefore represent the best way of alleviating both financial and humidity risks. “Optimum conditions for free cooling occur in the Nordics for the majority of the time, but crucially, not all of the time,” Greger concludes. “These temporary conditions require a temporary response, so hiring data centre cooling equipment like chillers and dry chillers may appeal. “Taking this approach can help site managers to alleviate damage risks without being shackled to expensive, permanent equipment that will not require year-round use. With COVID continuing to constrain budgets in all sectors, this freedom can allow contractors to be more dynamic as pandemic-enforced social restrictions are loosened and demand rises further.”

New engineering report shows data centre cooling shouldn’t cost the Earth

Iceotope Technologies, in conjunction with multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, Cundall, has announced the publication of a new Engineering Report: Liquid and Air-Cooling Compared, which describes and compares different forms of liquid-cooling as well as other forms of liquid-to-air cooling. It also assesses their suitability to augment or replace air-cooled infrastructure in real-world data centre situations. Developing the report, Cundall assessed the performance and energy efficiency of liquid cooling approaches based upon the sorts of scenarios data centre operators may face in four hypothetical data centres. The report incorporates calculated PUE and WUE figures, as well as projected OPEX savings and environmental benefits in order to present a comparison between liquid-cooling and air-cooled approaches in different data centre contexts.  Malcolm Howe, Partner at Cundall says: “Iceotope commissioned Cundall to undertake an independent study on liquid cooling, requesting a detailed analysis as well the impact on data centre operating costs. Our results show the performance and energy efficiency which liquid cooling offers over conventional air-cooling, as service providers simultaneously rise to the challenge of meeting demand for more data centre capacity whilst proactively minimising facility carbon footprint.” David Craig, CEO at Iceotope Technologies says; “Today’s IT managers need to deploy increasingly common and powerful CPUs and GPUs as a platform to enable a range of applications which include AI and ML capability. The challenge is to be able to effectively cool this type of equipment at scale in data centre and edge computing environments. Demonstrably, air cooling is already beyond its limits for these kinds of high-power density applications and equipment. Precision liquid cooling offers a pragmatic solution for meeting the industry needs for reliability, sustainability and lower OPEX – as this report proves.” Attend a panel discussion on 16th June, get a copy of the management report To launch the report, Iceotope Technologies and Cundall are being joined by Kao Data in a 60-minute webinar organised to discuss the results and to allow delegates to have their questions answered. Data centres that don’t cost the earth will take place at 2.00pm (BST) on 16th June 2021, those signing up and attending the event will receive a management report containing a full overview of Cundall’s findings. For further details and to reserve a place, please click here.

Data Centre Cooling Infrastructure Must Be Compliant Ahead of Summer

Affecting both the UK and EU, the 2020 F-Gas ban is a requirement of EU Regulation 517/2014 and means no refrigerants with a high global warming potential (GWP) can be used in cooling systems. For European data centres with mechanical cooling systems, this means refurbishment or replacement of aging infrastructure must be compliant with these regulations. As COVID-19 may have disrupted maintenance schedules for data centres across Europe, it is imperative that cooling systems are compliant with regulations when being repaired or replaced. Continuing supply chain issues may mean that this process could be prolonged while waiting for equipment to arrive, if mechanical cooling is used. Though many data centres may opt for a free cooling approach, rising temperatures across Europe caused by climate change may mean permanent cooling infrastructure reaches its limit. With this in mind, Nick Osborne, Data Centre Specialist at Aggreko, is warning operators to plan for temporary cooling ahead of summer heatwaves. “The Met Office has predicted we will see even more instances of heatwaves across Europe this summer, so data centre cooling systems are at risk of reaching their limit,” says Nick. “If cooling demand exceeds capacity or the cooling system is awaiting repair or replacement within regulation parameters, unexpected and costly downtime is likely to ensue during critical periods. Data centre operators must ensure their plans for supplementary cooling for these heatwaves are in place now before the summer begins.” Given that the periods of extreme heat are limited, European operators may find it more practical to hire temporary cooling solutions to boost cooling capacity for the times. On top of ensuring F-gas ban compliance, outsourcing the supplementary cooling to a temperature control expert means the correct level of equipment can be selected and integrated easily into the existing infrastructure after site audits. Nick adds: “With supply chain issues and financial uncertainty being key challenges of the past year, temporary cooling equipment hire could mitigate downtime while permanent infrastructure upgrades are made or free cooling methods are introduced. We are more reliant on data centres than ever, so avoiding cooling failure-related downtime through careful planning is paramount to navigating the summer months.”

New engineering report shows Data Centre cooling shouldn't cost the earth

Iceotope Technologies has announced the publication of a new Engineering Report: Liquid and Air- Cooling Compared, which describes and compares different forms of liquid-cooling as well as other forms of liquid-to-air cooling. It also assesses their suitability to augment or replace air-cooled infrastructure in real-world data centre situations. Developing the report, Cundall assessed the performance and energy efficiency of liquid cooling approaches based upon the sorts of scenarios data centre operators may face in four hypothetical data centres. The report incorporates calculated PUE and WUE figures, as well as projected OPEX savings and environmental benefits in order to present a comparison between liquid-cooling and air-cooled approaches in different data centre contexts. Malcolm Howe, Partner at Cundall says: “Iceotope commissioned Cundall to undertake an independent study on liquid cooling, requesting a detailed analysis as well the impact on data centre operating costs. Our results show the performance and energy efficiency which liquid cooling offers over conventional air-cooling, as service providers simultaneously rise to the challenge of meeting demand for more data centre capacity whilst proactively minimising facility carbon footprint.” David Craig, CEO at Iceotope Technologies comments; “Today’s IT managers need to deploy increasingly common and powerful CPUs and GPUs as a platform to enable a range of applications which include AI and ML capability. The challenge is to be able to effectively cool this type of equipment at scale in data centre and edge computing environments. Demonstrably, air cooling is already beyond its limits for these kinds of high-power density applications and equipment. Precision liquid cooling offers a pragmatic solution for meeting the industry needs for reliability, sustainability and lower OPEX – as this report proves.” Attend a panel discussion on 16th June, get a copy of the management report To launch the report, Iceotope Technologies and Cundall are being joined by Kao Data in a 60-minute webinar organised to discuss the results and to allow delegates to have their questions answered. “Data centres that don’t cost the earth” will take place at 2.00pm (BST) on 16th June 2021, those signing up and attending the event will receive a management report containing a full overview of Cundall’s findings. For further details and to reserve a place, please click here.

Ventilation sales sky-rocket to serve digital demand

The surge in digital demand as a result of COVID-19 is seeing a corresponding acceleration in specialised ventilation from Gilberts Blackpool. Britain’s manufacturer of commercial ventilation supply options is reporting growing interest at home and abroad in its internal floor grilles and external ventilation louvres for data centres, specifically its GF Series heavy duty floor grilles and new WK Series kitform screening louvres. Inside the data centre, Gilberts’ GF Series delivers air volumes up to 500l/sec with a jet velocity of 3m/sec. Able to withstand point loading of up to 4.5KN, the GF grilles are available with slimline hit/miss dampers that are position lockable to give finite control over airflow without hot or cold spots. The dampers are attached to the body grilles and the grilles engineered to replace 600mm square floor tiles to simplify on-site installation and handling. Externally, Gilberts' range of factory-built and site-assembled screening louvres provide the agility to address any through-façade ventilation, balancing 50% free ventilation with weather protection. WK is the latest variation, bringing a unique design of mullion which enables screening sections up to 3m high to be constructed on-site without the need for intermediate support. Its kit format means it is easy to precisely cut each blade on site to address specific façade considerations (services penetrations etc.). The system can be infinitely accessorised with eliminator blades, insect screens, acoustic blanks and so on to tailor each screen to specific weather and performance requirements. “The pandemic and its impact on our way of living - home working, online shopping etc. - has seen the UK designate data centres as part of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), and staff therein as keyworkers. London alone has seen an almost doubling of digital deployments in the past year, meaning numbers of existing industrial units are having to be rapidly converted and remodelled,” explains Gilberts’ Sales Director Ian Rogers. “Good ventilation is critical to address the internal heatload generated from banks of servers. We have remained open for business throughout the various lockdowns and have a reputation for quality product and service. Therefore we have been well-positioned to react and deliver single-source internal and external solutions that are quick to fit and effective in maintaining the precise ambient temperature and humidity (RH) crucial for such sensitive equipment.”

Scality predicts containerisation and cloud-native apps will define storage

Scality has announced its data storage predictions for 2021, focusing on the rapid growth rate of cloud-native apps and containerisation. According to IDC, by 2023, over 500 million digital apps and services will be developed and deployed using cloud-native approaches. That is the same number of apps developed in total over the last 40 years. “The accelerated growth of next-generation cloud-native digital apps and services will define new competitive requirements in every industry. Cloud native and containers are rapidly turning into the new blueprint for application development and underlying cloud infrastructure services,” explains Giorgio Regni, CTO at Scality. “For the storage industry, the container trend represents a significant inflection point that will transform deployment architectures leveraging Kubernetes and container-native storage APIs. Its impact will be comparable to that of server virtualisation in the 2000s and cloud computing in the 2010s.” Scality’s Chief Product Officer Paul Speciale adds, “2021 will see a number of trends emerge as enterprise IT teams and storage vendors adapt in order to support the rise of cloud-native apps and the subsequent change in application and cloud infrastructure models.” Scality’s predictions for 2021: New container-centric storage solutions will emerge Storage vendors in 2021 will create solutions to address the increasing scale and agility demands of container-based services, including boot volumes and logs, transactional databases, application data over traditional file and new object APIs, as well as backup and long-term archives. New container-centric storage products will be developed to enable traditional data-centric applications, as well as object storage and backups, to access Container Storage Interface (CSI)-type persistent volumes and radically reduce the complexity of large-scale Kubernetes deployments. Hybrid cloud data management will be adopted for disaster recovery Disaster Recovery (DR) across two physical data centres will no longer be required in 2021. Instead, hybrid cloud DR solutions that manage synchronized copies of critical data on-premises and in the public cloud will enable IT leaders to avoid the costs required to maintain and service two remote locations for DR, thereby saving thousands, if not millions, of dollars. Flash media will be embraced for high-capacity storage A new generation of high-density flash storage will become widely available in 2021. The optimal combination of high performance and lower prices makes it suitable for scale-out high-capacity file and object storage. Until now, flash storage has been deployed in smaller capacity applications and latency-sensitive use cases, while high-density spinning disk has been the preferred storage medium for large volumes of data (for example, media files or medical images). With the introduction of lower-cost, higher-density flash media in 2021, these use cases will adopt capacity-optimized solutions that maximize these benefits in density, scale and agility for multiple workloads.  Object storage will become a de facto storage model for data lakes Research and Markets estimates that by 2025 data lakes will grow into a $20.1 Billion market. To fully analyse and take advantage of the wealth of information and insight in these massive data repositories, organizations require a foundational storage layer that makes data accessible and useful. In 2021 object storage will fulfil this role, becoming the dominant storage interface for analytics applications, such as Cloudera, Elastic, Spark, Splunk, Vertica, Weka and many others. This is because analytics applications leverage the AWS S3 API, the standard API for object storage; large semi-structured and unstructured data sets are a natural fit for object storage; and performance and capacity resources can scale independently since object storage decouples the application compute tier from the storage tier. 2021 will see an increased convergence of object and file storage for unstructured data Organizations today are prioritizing data storage that scales both in capacity and in the breadth of applications that it supports. Cloud-native applications, which naturally consume and interact with object storage over S3 API, are increasingly deployed in the enterprise alongside long-standing applications that access file system storage. As a result, solutions that combine file and object models into single unified systems will prevail in the enterprise starting in 2021. The service mesh will be adopted to connect and secure workloads Complex cloud-native applications that straddle cloud regions, on-premises core data centres and edge locations are becoming increasingly popular. Yet secure communication between these services remains a challenge, particularly as the rise in remote working strains legacy network and firewall designs. In 2021, ‘service mesh’ approaches to secure network communication will be broadly adopted. Such approaches will enforce Transport Layer Security (TLS) and authentication and access control for both workload connectivity as well as towards the edge. This gradually introduces ‘zero-trust’ networks (spearheaded by Google’s BeyondCorp framework) where network policies can be codified and systematically deployed and enforced.

Asperitas to deliver immersion cooling solution to Amsterdam data centre

Immersion cooling specialist Asperitas, in close collaboration with trusted Shell partners, like datacentre service provider T-Systems, is set to facilitate an energy efficient, scalable and future ready High Performance Computing cluster in their Amsterdam datacentre. The natural convection driven Immersed Computing solution easily integrates into datacentre facilities and requires minimal overheads while also complementing infrastructure monitoring platforms, allowing for real-time management by the service providers supporting Shell.  Asperitas will be providing an infrastructure upgrade for Shell’s HPC cluster in Amsterdam. The cluster will be delivered by Penguin Computing and their OEM partners to offer a fully integrated and optimized solution suitable for enterprise level HPC. The deployment of the AIC24 solution will meet the demands of Shell’s HPC team for efficient high-density and performance computing on both a system and server level within a sustainable datacentre environment. The system will facilitate both CPU and GPU driven applications and offers the flexibility to easily scale with future demands and next hardware generations.  Peter Uelen, Asperitas CCO says: “Given Shell is a strategic partner of Asperitas and we have developed the Immersion Cooling Fluid product together, winning this deal and working alongside trusted partners like T-Systems, Intel and Penguin Computing to support the infrastructure upgrade, exemplifies and accelerates the partnership. It is our collective mission to enable sustainable and high performance datacentres Amsterdam or anywhere and we are excited the team will be using a cluster facilitated with our Immersed Computing solutions.” Speaking on the collaboration with Asperitas, William Wu, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at Penguin Computing, remarks: “Penguin Computing has been working alongside Asperitas to incorporate an optimized immersion cooling capability into our HPC Solutions. Both parties learned a lot from each other during this process and we are looking forward to being part of this new chapter for Shell HPC.“ David Baldwin, HPC Program Manager, Shell comments: “Shell's High Performance Computing team worked very closely with the Asperitas technical team to provide the best solution for our new cluster in Amsterdam. This cluster is a critical part of our R&D capacity to help us discover new energy resources, develop new products and drive our digital transition.” The Shell Immersion Cooling Fluid product, specifically developed for Immersed Computing, is a synthetic, single-phase immersion cooling fluid made from gas using Shell’s gas-to-liquids technology. It is optimised for Asperitas’ natural-convection-driven immersion cooling solutions but can also be used in pumped circulation systems of other providers. The liquid is designed to reduce energy costs and emissions through its high cooling efficiency, excellent flow behaviour as well as its thermodynamic properties. The immersion cooling fluid was introduced to the datacentre market at the Global Open Compute Project Summit earlier this year. Sundeep Kamath, Global Marketing Manager for Process Oils at Shell adds: “Data is the new oil and is being generated at an exponentially increasing pace. Today, datacentres account for about 1% of global energy use and this is only going to increase. This award-winning solution can cut the energy footprint of datacentres by half, while also increasing compute performance and lowering costs; it’s a win-win on all fronts. We are convinced of the great benefits of this innovative technology and hope more of our partners and customers benefit by adopting this solution for their compute needs and their own decarbonization journeys.” Asperitas is known for collaboration with partners to develop integrated solutions and concepts that have been optimised for immersion cooling, utilising its full potential regarding efficiency, sustainability and performance. These collaborations include system integrators, datacentre operators and original equipment manufacturers.  “T-Systems has been the service provider for Shell since 2008, including datacentre services. Our datacentre team is looking forward to supporting Shell HPC on their journey with Asperitas and is excited to see the technology going into production in Amsterdam.” says Wenche Dikstaal, Service Delivery Manager for Datacenters at T-Systems. “Liquid and immersion cooling is gaining traction in the enterprise space and T-Systems is proud to be involved in something that could be considered a lighthouse project in this space.”  Tonya Cosby, Global Enterprise Account Manager – Energy, Intel adds: “Intel is collaborating with Asperitas to deliver a sustainable solution that will help Shell work towards net zero goals. We are evolving our corporate responsibility strategy to increase the scale of our work with strategic partners to harness the power of technology to solve global challenges, as it is our shared responsibility to collectivity measure our carbon footprint. Combining Intel technologies with the Asperitas’ solution alongside Shell’s immersion cooling fluid will not only benefit Shell, but it can benefit datacentres globally.” Tonya continues: “We believe that when hardware, software and good ideas come together, technology has the power to have an authentic, human impact and enable meaningful connections. We remain committed to Shell by developing and investing in innovative technology to power the next chapter of the global energy industry.” The installation is scheduled for January 2021, with Asperitas working alongside Penguin Computing, Gigabyte and Intel to provide the integrated high performance compute solutions.

Abtec to shift to industry 4.0 with appointment of Head of industrial IoT

As Abtec Building Technologies seek to enhance its service offering to industrial and commercial customers, the award-winning smart buildings provider has announced the appointment of Kieron O’Toole as Head of Industrial IoT. In his role, O'Toole will lead the business unit responsible for the design and management of IoT, and data infrastructure for commercial customers - from edge to core to cloud. This allows Abtec to deliver greater expertise and value in smart buildings and the new wave of smart factories being implemented. The Industrial IoT service brings together Abtec’s range of digital services including IT/OT converged data networks; high availability data centres and WAN; cyber security; intelligent lighting, heating and access control; CCTV; presence tracking; and 24/7 infrastructure and energy management. These digital foundations reduce operational cost and risk for customers, but they also form the bedrock of wider Industry 4.0 programmes such as digital twins, supply chain integration, machine learning and AI optimisation, whilst enabling a world of new Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors and applications to be deployed. Prior to joining Abtec at the beginning of October, Kieron has worked extensively across the industrial and enterprise ICT environments in systems engineering and businesses improvement roles for organisations such as Polestar Interactive and BT Global Services. He is also a member of Aston University’s Industrial Advisory Board and the Institute of Consulting. Of his appointment, Kieron comments: “It is an exciting time to be joining Abtec Building Technologies. Industrial IoT will play a transformative role in customer experience and production efficiency and will enable new ways of working across the entire supply chain. Using my knowledge and experience, I am looking forward to being part of Abtec leveraging its unique expertise, assets and service wrap in the industrial market to provide our customers a reliable data infrastructure partner.” Dave Watkins, Director of Abtec Building Technologies, concludes: “We are delighted that Kieron has joined Abtec in this new role. He has a proven track record in delivering results, and his expertise will add value to our business as we grow our Industrial IoT service offering.”

Asperitas wins deal for immersion cooling for Crédit Agricole

Immersion cooling specialist Asperitas supports the datacentre scale up of the Chartres site. The Asperitas technology, will enable the bank’s data centres to reduce their costs and environmental footprint, preparing for a future with more computer driven applications, with high density solutions required. In 2018, a project with Asperitas was installed for Credit Agricole, the technology was validated and met their Tier 4 data centre and enterprise standards, qualifying for their datacentres. The project managed 40% of the bank workload in Chartres. The module was exposed to weather fluctuations, performing exceptionally. The next step of the project is to install multiple Asperitas modules in two datacentres, taking up 150 square meters of floor space. Rolf Brink, Asperitas CEO says: “I am delighted that Crédit Agricole, has chosen Asperitas to support their scale-up. The simplicity of the AIC24 modules make it a solution, without having to change environmental infrastructure, this outcome enables Crédit Agricole’s next step in development. Having multiple modules on the French site will impact on their data centre performance, efficiency and sustainability.” The AIC24 solution will meet the demand for high density compute on a system. It uses a natural convection driven fluid circulation. This approach enables immersion cooling to be both climate independent and fully heat reuse ready. Making use of the shell immersion cooling fluid, the solution is suitable for the most demanding data centres and allows for efficient cooling. Sundeep Kamath, Global Marketing Manager for Process Oils at Shell adds: “We are excited with this success. Shell is committed to working with our partners to develop solutions. Data centres today consume 1% of global energy, this is expected to grow with exponential amounts of data generated. This solution offers – increased compute performance, lower costs, and lower CO2 footprint. Shell is deploying this technology for our own computing and are very happy to see a leading bank like Crédit Agricole choose this solution.” Jean Buet, Senior Officer, Head of Datacentres, Crédit Agricole comments: “The solution provided by Asperitas allows us to increase the density of our data centre without major work. We can offer a high thermal density solution that meets both growing demand and new technological challenges. We have now decided to deploy this solution.” The multiple module installation is scheduled for before the end of 2020, with Asperitas working alongside Dell Technologies to provide integrated compute solutions.