Dive Into The ‘Brave New World’ Of Data Center Cooling At Bisnow’s Sept. 4 Event

While the market for every asset class from office to industrial has risen and fallen over the past decade, one thing that holds strong is the demand for data centers. 

According to Goldman Sachs Research, data center power demand will grow by 160% by 2030. This is a staggering figure for an industry that already consumes 1% to 2% of power worldwide. 

As the pressure on data centers increases, so does the pressure on data center owners that are responsible for keeping their facilities operational even in the face of extraordinary demand. Cooling plays a key role in meeting this goal. 

“We're kind of in a brave new world as far as cooling goes,” said Dave Meadows, director of technology at Stulz USA, which provides cooling and humidity control solutions for data centers. “Keeping data centers cool has always been a crucial part of facility operations, but now, as the pressure for higher densities rises, it has become more important than ever.” 

If data centers overheat, the consequences can be catastrophic. Bisnow will explore the importance of data center cooling at the National DICE Data Center Management, Operations and Cooling — West Coast event on Sept. 4. Register here. 

Meadows will be featured on a panel on the role of effective cooling in high-performance computing. He and his industry peers will discuss how effective cooling is a key part of helping the data center industry keep up with increasing demand. 

Bisnow spoke with Meadows to learn more about modern data center cooling needs and where he sees the industry heading.

Greater Density, More Cooling Challenges

Meadows said cooling was already a challenge when data centers’ rack watt density was between 10 and 15 kilowatts per rack. Today, individual chip wattage and rack densities are rising, forcing operators to push more air into the racks. He said it is also inspiring the move to liquid-based cooling approaches like direct liquid-to-chip or immersion-type cooling systems.

“All of this is going to force us to adopt new technologies, and even though we like to think of ourselves as this cutting-edge industry, we're very risk-averse,” Meadows said. “It takes an epic shift like this in how data centers are designed and operated to get data center owners to stick their necks out a little bit and adopt some of these new cooling strategies.” 

Stulz got on the liquid-to-chip cooling bandwagon early, investing in a company that produced this technology in 2015, he said. That relationship taught Stulz that as an air-conditioning company, it didn’t need to be afraid of liquid cooling because it already had all of the tools and expertise it needed to provide that to its data center customers, Meadows said. 

“It opened more opportunities for us,” he said. “At Stulz, we will be providing everything from the back of the rack to the outside heat rejection system for liquid-to-chip or immersion cooling, as well as traditional air-cooling equipment and more as data center needs change.” 

Power Needs Keep Growing, And The Supply Chain Must Grow With It

As for where he sees the data center industry heading in the next five years or so, Meadows said he is confident that power demands will continue to rise. He based that off of chip manufacturers’ strong sales numbers. 

“Nothing seems to indicate that there is a bubble,” he said. “It could plateau at some point if we create some disruptive technologies on the server side, but none of that is out there for us today. I fully expect to see healthy, continued growth across the board in the data center market.” 

On a cautionary note, Meadows said that as the industry evolves, data center professionals need to keep an eye on the supply chain and how it could impact that growth — not just the materials side of the chain but also the human side. 

“We need more electricians, we need more carpenters, we need more skilled labor to be able to sustain the growth of our industry across the board,” he said. “We need to reach out into the community, into the vocational schools, into the high schools and make them aware of this massive, growing industry that needs the next generation of workers.” 

To hear more from Meadows, register to attend Bisnow’s National DICE Data Center Management, Operations and Cooling — West Coast event on Sept. 4.

This article was produced in collaboration between Stulz USA and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.