News in the Channel - issue #33

DATA CENTRE COOLING

Sue Preston, vice president, WW Advisory & Professional Services at HPE, adds that for data centre operators to be able to provide infrastructure capacity growth options to meet current demand they require different options. “They can opt to build new data centres able to run modern infrastructure with high density racks and new cooling technologies such as DLC or adaptive cascade cooling (a new patent from HPE) or retrofitting existing data centres to reach the same objective or eventually offloading those new AI use cases to specialised colocation players,” she says. “One option for new builds are so- called modular data centre solutions, for example, the HPE AI Mod Pod. These offer key advantages as they are prefabricated, pre-engineered components, and in the case of the HPE AI Mod POD feature DLC and a heat-recovery module by design. This not only allows for rapid deployment and shorter construction times but also makes it easier scale data centre infrastructure as needed. “Adaptive cascade cooling architectures, on the other hand, provide an opportunity for operators that are looking to host new, high-density systems at existing facilities that are not originally fitted for DLC technology. It is particularly effective when retrofitted to existing air- cooled data centres as it can adapt to changing cooling demands and can help reduce energy consumption.” Future As AI continues to influence greater aspects of how organisations do business, cooling will remain an important issue. Markus notes that regulatory pressure around energy efficiency and sustainability will add further urgency. “Our advice to resellers is to build their expertise in next-generation cooling technologies as quickly as possible, and look to partner with vendors that offer modular, scalable solutions,” he says.

“Once they have sufficient confidence, they should be raising the subject of cooling within wider discussions on data centre modernisation and positioning themselves as long-term partners who can help customers navigate the delicate balance between performance, cost, and sustainability.” Tim notes that Goldman Sachs recently forecast that global data centre electricity demand could grow by 160– 165% by 2030. “Resellers who want to stay ahead need to understand these dynamics, keep up to date with the latest cooling innovations, and partner with manufacturers and supply partners who are pushing the envelope in terms of energy-efficient technology,” he says. Sue says that large scale AI and HPC computing deployments, and the inherent question of gaining broader control over costs, operations, resources and cooling will be a key challenge for all data centre operators in the coming years. “To be able to provide not just the optimal solutions but also guide their customers in their long-term strategy, resellers first of all need to familiarise themselves with not just the different cooling technologies, but efficiency levers overall, as the cooling requirements of a data centre are not solely based on the hardware deployed, but also how it is used,” she says. “By leveraging the tools and insights provided by vendors, working closely with them to understand the IT sustainability and data centre modernisation solutions and services provided, resellers can create their own value-added offerings and establishing themselves as a trusted partner in a field that will see a clear increase in demand. “These can range from advisory consulting to assess current state and define data centre transformation strategies and roadmaps, to data centre design and build, as well as data centre management services.” n

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Our advice to resellers is to build their expertise in next-generation cooling technologies as quickly as possible, and look to partner with vendors that offer modular, scalable solutions.

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