{"id":47911,"date":"2024-05-15T09:58:09","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T07:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thermokey.com\/?p=47911"},"modified":"2024-05-23T16:10:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T14:10:18","slug":"the-future-of-data-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thermokey.com\/en\/news\/the-future-of-data-centres\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of data centres"},"content":{"rendered":"
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ThermoKey recently participated in two major events in the world of data centres: the Data Centre World exhibition<\/a><\/strong> in London and Data Center Nation<\/a><\/strong> in Milan. These opportunities have strengthened our international presence and allowed us to share and enrich our know-how<\/strong> with the latest developments in the market.<\/p>\n

The discussions and interactions at these exhibition outlined a rapidly changing landscape<\/strong>: the exponential increase in data generated by the IoT, the ever-increasing adoption of cloud computing, the growing demands for high performance from industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, along with strict privacy regulations, are putting data centres at the heart of digitalization and connectivity strategies globally<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1715767291679{margin-top: 10px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]One of the most pressing challenges to emerge is the energy sustainability<\/strong> of these infrastructures. Cooling systems, essential for maintaining optimal conditions in data centres, consume massive amounts of energy. Faced with this scenario, innovation in cooling systems becomes crucial to reduce environmental impact<\/strong> and improve energy efficiency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

ThermoKey is committed to driving this transformation by developing advanced technologies<\/strong> that effectively address market needs with innovative and sustainable solutions. Below, we will explore the key themes emerging at the exhibitions and present some of our initiatives to address them.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”48015″ img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1715760060172{margin-bottom: 25px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Key themes emerging at the exhibitions” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23004987″ css=”.vc_custom_1715759511599{margin-top: 35px !important;margin-bottom: 25px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;border-bottom-color: #004987 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”1. THE INCREASING ENERGY NEEDS OF DATA CENTRES” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20%20px|text_align:left|color:%23353535″ css=”.vc_custom_1715760202611{margin-bottom: 25px !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The energy requirement of data centres is growing globally due to the increasing use of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and data-driven applications. The energy required for cooling<\/strong> can account for a significant portion (about 40%<\/strong>) of a data centre’s overall energy consumption.<\/p>\n

After globally consuming an estimated 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2022, data centre total electricity consumption could reach more than 1.000 TWh in 2026.<\/p>\n

Also in Italy<\/strong> the energy consumption by data centre is destined to increase, as confirmed by the trend recorded in the last 3 years: only in 2023 this figure grew by 23%<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1715760160966{margin-top: 30px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”47937″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”47944″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1715760854845{margin-top: 60px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”2. NEW EUROPEAN REGULATIONS GUIDE THE CHOICE OF AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20%20px|text_align:left|color:%23353535″ css=”.vc_custom_1715763513284{margin-bottom: 25px !important;border-top-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;border-top-color: #e5e5e5 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-radius: 2px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The latest European regulations for data centre set specific energy consumption targets and reporting obligations to improve energy efficiency and sustainability. The EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)<\/strong> aims to reduce energy use and carbon emissions in Europe by 11.7% by 2030<\/strong>, in line with the EU Green Deal goal of a 55% cut in carbon emissions by that same date. Data centres are expected to become more efficient, and the first step is mandatory reporting of energy use and emissions from data centres which are larger than 500kW. Starting on May 15, 2024, data centre owners and operators in the EU will have to report their data centre’s energy performance for the previous year annually into a European database, including floor area, installed power, data volumes, energy consumption, PUE, temperature set points, waste heat utilization, water usage, and use of renewable energy.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]In particular, the PUE<\/strong>, or Power Usage Effectiveness<\/strong>, is a metric used to measure the energy efficiency of a data centre<\/strong>. It is calculated as the ratio of total facility energy to IT equipment energy used in a data centre, with a lower PUE indicating higher efficiency<\/strong>. According to various studies, currently the average PUE of a data centre is around 1.5 but European regulation has decreed that soon the PUE of a data centre will not be able to exceed 1.2[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”47957″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47974″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1715761059758{margin-top: 30px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1715760854845{margin-top: 60px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”3. THE IMPACT OF COOLING SYSTEMS ON DATA CENTRE EFFICIENCY” font_container=”tag:h3|font_size:20%20px|text_align:left|color:%23353535″ css=”.vc_custom_1715763495469{margin-bottom: 25px !important;border-top-width: 2px !important;padding-top: 15px !important;border-top-color: #e5e5e5 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-radius: 2px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Data centre are responsible for massive carbon emissions<\/strong>, water usage for cooling systems<\/strong>, and extensive electricity consumption<\/strong>. The cooling system is a major contributor to the energy consumption of data centre, accounting for 40% of the power used on average in modern data centres.<\/p>\n

To address these concerns, various cooling methods and systems<\/strong> are employed in data centre. Traditional air cooling<\/u><\/strong> is a reliable method but can consume high amounts of energy, especially in warmer climates.<\/p>\n

Liquid cooling<\/u><\/strong> is becoming increasingly popular due to its high efficiency and lower carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

Evaporative cooling<\/u><\/strong> and free cooling reduce the dependence on mechanical cooling systems, thereby reducing energy consumption.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three main data centre cooling typologies:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1715762133105{margin-bottom: 40px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47981″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1715761509475{margin-top: 30px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715762079047{margin-top: 3px !important;border-top-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;padding-bottom: 3px !important;border-top-color: #004987 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #004987 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Conventional<\/strong><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715762072253{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;background-color: #ededed !important;}”]PUE = ~ 1.5[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Air cooled” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:left” css=”.vc_custom_1715762250528{margin-top: 10px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715762490274{margin-top: 10px !important;}”]This is a traditional cooling method where air is used to cool the data centre equipment. It can be further divided into room-based and row-based configurations. Room-based solutions involve cooling the entire room, while row-based solutions focus on cooling specific rows of equipment.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715762505687{margin-top: 5px !important;border-top-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;border-top-color: #004987 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #004987 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-radius: 1px !important;}”]Advantages:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n