EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
BARRY LEWINGTON , DIRECTOR , PTS CONSULTING
he APAC market is the fastest global growing
T market region and is expected to grow at a rate of 8 %. It ’ s a region that expands from the cold north through the hot and humid countries around the equator down to the southern cities of Australia . Data centre design and build requirements can vary greatly as climates assist or challenge the facility designer .
THE APAC MARKET IS THE FASTEST GLOBAL GROWING MARKET REGION AND IS EXPECTED TO GROW AT A RATE OF 8 %.
This has developed an opportunity for the smaller data centre providers to explore the adoption of new innovative ways of providing cooling services and , in many cases , utilising the cooler temperatures to use free cool air as part of their cooling solution . One such facility in Australia has even adopted a full free cool air policy for its services .
At the core of the facility provision is the customers ’ IT systems and with development of new compliant products from the manufacturers , the data centre providers are starting to implement complimentary solutions such as cooling direct to the device and immersion cooling .
Immersion cooling tears up the traditional design of the data centre – there ’ s no longer a need for the traditional demands of air cooling , or slab to slab height we have become accustomed to as IT systems are immersed in baths of fluid and run at greater temperatures with the warm fluid pumped directly out to external heat exchangers .
With a traditional data centre facility market where designs have not materially changed for 35 years , this could be the paradigm shift of the data centre design we have all been waiting for . We still have a long way to go – we ’ ve been on this journey before convincing the market that this is the new norm . We still need the development of global standards , communications and education of the
DATA CENTRE DESIGN AND BUILD REQUIREMENTS CAN VARY GREATLY AS CLIMATES ASSIST OR CHALLENGE THE FACILITY DESIGNER .
markets , mass procurement of new models of IT hardware that drive down costs . We may have a model that will simplify the data centre design and bring down the construction costs for all . Its early stages and there are exemplary implementations taking place up and down the region that can be used in educating the market on the successes .
This will certainly simplify the design of the data centre computer room of the future , with the challenges of laying out equipment to reduce hot spots removed . We have a long way to go but we know that IT evolution is a cyclic journey and through experience we ’ re aware it takes time . Let ’ s enjoy the journey – we have been waiting long enough for this . �
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