Water : the not-so-hidden cost of data centre cooling
TECHNOLOGY
markets and the subsequent growth of the edge , as well as increased adoption of high workload intensity technologies like artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine learning ( ML ), are all eating into efficiency gains that have nowhere left to go .
To illustrate “ just how energy- efficient data processing has become , imagine that if the airline industry was able to demonstrate the same level of efficiency , a typical 747 passenger plane would be able to fly from New York to London on just 2.8 litres of fuel in around eight minutes ,” says Johnson .
And yet , the need for more sustainable design , both in terms of PUE and water usage effectiveness ( WUE ) - an area where hyperscalers , in particular , have been increasingly criticised for their monumental
Water : the not-so-hidden cost of data centre cooling
Q . How are innovations in the cooling space affecting the massive demand that data centres can have on the local water supply ?
Darren Watkins : The cooling demands of hyperscale Data Centres tend to favour chilled water cooling systems , so the water impact is negligible . This is because once a system is operational , only limited amounts of make-up water are required . Chilled water systems have significantly improved in terms of energy efficiency with the increase in ‘ free-cooling ’ capability , i . e . using ambient outside temperatures for cooling .
At VIRTUS , we have been concerned about water usage for a long time and have addressed this with some recent innovative design changes . If you don ’ t have access to an aquifer and instead are using mains supplied water , then this is a major challenge . We have reverted to the HVAC systems in areas where water is a concern or where that technology is more appropriate . The customer usage of the facilities that we provide is a key element in how efficient the data centre is .
We provide the most efficient PUE environment , but if the customer deploys in a way that degrades the performance , then investments in plant technology are almost wasted . VIRTUS invests a great deal of time monitoring and insisting that our customers follow strict guidelines on deployment containment to ensure the absolute best performance is achieved from the design .
100 October 2021