www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I February 2024 7
News
NEW CONTAINER-TYPE DATA CENTRE WITH IMMERSION / AIR- COOLED HYBRID COOLING SYSTEM
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ( MHI ) has developed a new 40kVA-class 4m container-type data centre with an immersion / air-cooled hybrid cooling system capable of housing servers , utilising three types of cooling methods : immersion cooling ( 25kVA ), air cooling ( 8kVA ) and water cooling ( 8kVA ).
MHI has provided the product to customers for trial operation since October 2023 , and began demonstration testing to support commercialisation at the Yokohama Hardtech Hub , a manufacturing co-creation space on the grounds of MHI ’ s Yokohama Dockyard & Machinery Works Honmoku Plant in Naka-ku , Yokohama . MHI thereafter plans to commercialise this solution .
The newly developed data centre is the successor to the container-type immersion cooling data centre that has been under development since 2021 . Servers with different cooling methods for different applications ( by power density ) can be mounted in the unit simultaneously , accommodating a diverse range of servers and other devices for edge computing to process data at the periphery (‘ edge ’) of computer networks .
In addition , a space of 1.4m x 1.3m has been secured inside the container , dramatically improving workability when installing or removing servers . Further , because of the integration and optimisation of different cooling methods as a whole system and installation at high density in a 4m container , system performance in a 40 ° C environment is expected to achieve PUE of 1.05 for immersion cooling alone ( 1.14 when immersion cooling and air cooling are used in combination ).
For the demonstration testing of the data centre , Dell Technologies Japan provided a server for verification , and NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation will verify the IT equipment installation and server maintenance procedures .
Data centres are a part of the critical social infrastructure supporting modern life and culture . In recent years , the demand for greater server capacity and more advanced data centres has increased . As companies shift data and processes to the cloud – and advances in generative AI drive its widespread adoption – reducing the amount of power consumed to remove the heat generated by servers , and minimising the impact on the environment have become important issues . Strong growth in data centre infrastructure is expected in the future at an accelerating pace .
Going forward , MHI Group will apply various cooling technologies and zero emission power products at data centres that utilise high-performance servers . The expanded portfolio positions MHI Group to provide a one-stop solution for highly reliable and efficient power supply , cooling and monitoring systems , as well as integrated control , in order to contribute to the realisation of a carbon-neutral society and the conservation of the global environment . RACA
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Data centres are a part of the critical social infrastructure supporting modern life and culture .
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I February 2024 7