Addressing Energy Efficiency Challenges in Data Center Design

Advanced technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence are driving the development of data centers and the expansion of data center capacity within existing facilities. Along with this expansion comes an increased need for power, leading to energy-efficiency challenges.

In an article for Building Operating Management, Principal Matt Koukl discusses the complexities of designing and operating energy-efficient data centers. As data centers integrate systems and equipment to support the rapid growth of AI and advanced computing, data center owners and managers face challenges across multiple fronts in managing energy consumption. These include:

• Understanding and meeting the various minimum energy standards for data centers.
• Addressing the power infrastructure requirements that come with high-density equipment and high-performance processors such as GPUs and TPUs,
• Integrating cooling methods beyond traditional air cooling, such as liquid and immersion cooling, to support thermal management of high-density equipment.
• Optimizing the efficiency of systems and day-to-day operations.
• Ensuring people have the knowledge to deploy, operate, and maintain power and cooling systems that support high-density loads.

As technology continues to evolve, collaboration across systems and proactive planning are key to addressing challenges and better managing energy use in data centers.

Read the article