Intelligent Data Centres Issue 35 | Page 45

THE INCREASE IN AI WILL
UNAVOIDABLY INCREASE
COMPUTING
AND HEAT DENSITIES AND , BY EXTENSION ,
ACCELERATE THE ADOPTION OF
LIQUID COOLING .
FEATURE

THE INCREASE IN AI WILL

UNAVOIDABLY INCREASE

COMPUTING

AND HEAT DENSITIES AND , BY EXTENSION ,

ACCELERATE THE ADOPTION OF

LIQUID COOLING .

Vertiv , a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions , has released its annual list of the key data centre trends to watch in 2022 , headlined by a dramatic acceleration in actions to address sustainability and navigate the climate crisis . Vertiv experts see long-held conversations around efficiency and utilisation in the data centre evolving to reflect a more comprehensive and aggressive focus on sustainability . This movement recognises the urgency of the climate crisis , the relationship between resource availability and rising costs , and shifting political winds around the world .

“ As we move into 2022 , data centre operators and suppliers will actively pursue strategies that can make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis ,” said Vertiv CEO , Rob Johnson . “ For our part , we continue to focus on energy efficiency across our portfolio , as well as alternative and renewable energy technologies and zero-carbon energy sources , to prioritise water-free cooling technologies and to partner with research leaders and our customers to focus on impactful sustainability efforts .”
The actions data centre decision-makers take on these fronts will have a profound impact on the digital economy in 2022 and beyond . The urgency of these challenges is reflected in the 2022 trends identified by Vertiv ’ s experts . These are :
• Data centres tackle sustainability and the climate crisis : The data centre industry has taken steps towards more climate-friendly practices in recent years , but operators will join the climate effort more purposefully in 2022 . On the operational front , Vertiv experts predict some organisations will embrace sustainable energy strategies that utilise a digital solution that matches energy use with 100 % renewable energy and ultimately operates on 24 / 7 sustainable energy . Such hybrid distributed energy systems can provide both AC and DC power , which adds options to improve efficiencies and eventually allows data centres to operate carbonfree . Fuel cells , renewable assets and long-duration energy storage systems , including Battery Energy Storage Systems ( BESS ) and Lithiumion batteries , will all play a vital role in providing sustainable , resilient and reliable outcomes . Thermal systems that use zero water are in demand and we will see refrigerants with high Global Warming Potential ( GWP ) phased down in favour of low- GWP refrigerants .
More immediately , extreme weather events related to climate change will influence decisions around where and how to build new data centres and telecommunications networks .
Other factors , including the reliability and affordability of the grid , regional temperatures , availability of water and renewable and locally generated sustainable energy , and regulations that ration utility power and limit the amount of power afforded to data centres , play a part in the decision-making too .
These extreme weather events will drive more robust infrastructure systems across the Information and Communications Technology ( ICT ) space which will need to be carefully aligned with sustainability goals . In 2022 , data centre and telecom operators will wrestle with these issues – and ever-present latency questions – and will drive a need for solutions that can address all of these challenges . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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