initially provide 750kW of IT power
meaning that the design PUE can be
realised in a relatively short space of
time and in line with the customer’s
predicted load. The site can then be
expanded in further blocks of 750kW
or less, so that at each stage, the supply
of IT power and cooling capacity can
be matched as closely as possible to the
actual short-term demand.
There are two critical, additional
elements required to make modularity
work in practice: firstly, that the time
taken to deploy additional modules is
measured in weeks and not months and
secondly that in deploying additional
units of capacity no disruption to
the existing operational environment
occurs.
Conclusion
It is not just the provision of power
that can be tuned using a modular
approach. Other aspects of a data
centre such as resilience levels, security,
fire suppression, connectivity and so
on, can be configured differently in
each module, meaning that rather than
having to build every module to the
highest common factor, each can be
built to its exact purpose. Of course, as
with any just-in-time supply chain, it
is critical to engage suppliers who can
commit to strict delivery timescales with
a ‘first-time-right’ philosophy and can
become the trusted partner in managing
those resources.
One additional thought – modular
data centres typically use prefabrication,
which in-and-of-itself delivers some
of the benefits of using a modular
approach. A key potential benefit of
prefabrication is the concept of re-use.
Not just the mechanical and electrical
components, the copper wiring in the
transformers, but the steel used to build
the structure can all be re-used, and
quickly. This is potential re-cycling on
an industrial scale. Ultimately, the best
that the data centre industry can do to
ensure that the world’s resources are
not being squandered is to deliver data
centre capacity exactly when and where
it is needed. No more, no less.
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NETCOMMS europe Volume V Issue 5 2015 37