Pandemic marked a pivotal point for many data centers and digital infrastructure providers; more was expected of them, and they were able to deliver. To meet the rising demand for computing power and digital services, data centers had to expand. Their demand has grown from a few megawatts to over 800 megawatts today. This is expected to double in the next 4-5 years. Mumbai & Chennai are considered hubs for DCs due to the existing infrastructure. NCR and Hyderabad are emerging hotspots due to the policies concerning data infra.
Many new data centers are being built today at a location where customers can rent and share space as well as computing power. New technologies like 5G mobile networks, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing have increased data centers demand. However, meeting this demand is just the tip of the iceberg.
Customers, as well as government and industry regulatory bodies, put constant pressure on data centers to deliver more and demand less. Data centers today are under constant pressure to increase computing power while using less energy and reducing their carbon footprint. While this will be a pillar of the Indian economy in the coming years, India has a unique opportunity to learn from other countries’ experiences. Designers, DC providers, regulatory bodies, and suppliers will bear a significant amount of responsibility in this regard. Cooling systems’ efficiency and effectiveness are the solution to the dilemma of reducing data center energy consumption while maintaining sustainability.
Data Center Trends
Adopting Best Cooling Practices:
Back in the day, traditional air-cooling systems could keep a safe, controlled environment for low rack densities of 2 kW to 5 kW per rack. Today’s operators, on the other hand, aim for densities of up to 20 kW, which are beyond the capabilities of traditional air-cooling systems. Modern cooling systems, such as rear door heat exchangers, PAC, and liquid cooling, maybe a good fit. Chillers can now operate at chilled water temperatures of up to 22 degrees Celsius, and this limit is constantly being pushed.
Plugging Into the Smart Grid:
There are ways to make your data center more efficient while maintaining sustainability, thanks to daily innovations and technological advancements. Smart grids create an automated power delivery network by allowing energy and information to flow in both directions. Operators of data centers can draw clean power from the grid and integrate renewable energy sources, making them occasional power suppliers.
Minimizing unused IT Equipment:
Distributed computing, which combines several computers into a single machine, is a great way to reduce unused IT equipment. By combining the processing power of multiple data centers, they can increase processing power while eliminating the need for separate facilities for different applications.
More effort must be put into designing data centers that address cooling, energy consumption, and waste to create truly green data centers that are beneficial to the environment.
- Installing energy-efficient servers
- Opting for more effective cooling solutions
- Optimizing hardware refresh cycles
Focusing on these key areas can help the global IT industry achieve, if not exceed, the reduction in carbon footprint that cloud computing has enabled.
The industry is at an inflexion point and it is a golden opportunity to establish this foundation and the latest trends and best practices.
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