Guarding Against Heat: Sustainable Cooling Solutions for Data Centers
How Climate Change Affects Data Centers
The year 2023 marked the warmest ever recorded, and projections for 2024 indicate further temperature increases due to the influence of El Niño. With a rising number of days surpassing temperature thresholds, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) emphasizes the necessity for adaptation measures in the face of a warming climate. While heat waves become more prevalent and intense globally and in Sweden, it's imperative to recognize that the impact extends beyond humans - data centers face significant challenges.
"It's not just humans who suffer from heat - so does our digital twin."
- Mathias Lindqvist, Chief Engineer at T.Loop
Challenges with Traditional Cooling Systems in data centers
Most contemporary data centers rely on air cooling, utilizing outdoor air for their cooling systems. Whether equipped with a compressor or operating on free cooling principles, the crucial decision in designing these systems involves setting dimensioning limit values. For instance, a facility in Stockholm may have limit values set at 32º C outside temperature with 40% humidity. When these limits are breached, the indoor temperature rises, potentially forcing technology shutdowns to prevent breakdowns.
Lifecycle Challenges and Solutions in data centers
Today's technology typically has a lifespan of 20 years, and as a result, a significant number of data centers were established before climate change became noticeable. Adapting performance limits isn't easily achievable, and in the worst case scenario, a facility may need to be rebuilt to accommodate evolving technology. The current challenge for data center operators is to design both a secure and cost-effective facility. Consequently, many opt for a straightforward solution - disregarding limit values and allowing a smaller margin of error. While it's possible to increase performance limits for new facilities, this necessitates larger cooling facilities and the incorporation of additional reserve capacity in the data center. This leading to heightened hardware production, energy consumption, and climate footprint. Moreover, oversizing incurs increased costs.
Advantages of Liquid Cooling - T.Loop's Approach
T.Loop recognizes significant advantages in liquid cooling for data centers:
Operating temperature of 40-50º C, providing a substantial margin of error and protection against extreme weather.
High temperature facilitates heat recovery and allows for year-round free cooling in northern latitudes without the need for compressors or water irrigation.
Requires less space and features simpler technical installations.
Considerations for Colocation Services
Customers considering colocation services should:
Inquire about the performance ranges of the cooling system to understand the threshold at which cooling capacity diminishes.
Categorize service needs based on uptime requirements, optimizing energy consumption and hardware lifespan.
Clearly communicate needs and explore the sustainability of dimensioned performance values.
At T.Loop, we are committed to creating sustainable and secure data centers. If you have questions or seek advice, don't hesitate to reach out. Let's work together towards a future of resilient, energy-efficient, and environmentally conscious data solutions