Data centers are becoming an increasingly important part of our world since they hold the infrastructure that makes the digital world work. High-performance data centers like Equinix IBX® data centers not only house key infrastructure elements like compute, storage and networking equipment; they also provide power and cooling equipment to keep everything operating smoothly.
Whether a company is focused on AI, sustainability, multicloud adoption, geographic expansion, digital transformation or all of the above, data centers are the foundation. But they can be mysterious to outsiders, so in this two-part blog series, we’re giving you an inside view.
My previous blog post covered the core IT infrastructure that lives in a data center—servers, storage and networking. Now, we’ll peek at the power and cooling features that enable IT infrastructure to stay online and operate as efficiently as possible, plus some clever exterior features.
Data center power
Data centers don’t just provide a place for storage, servers and networking equipment to live. This equipment requires a lot of energy and creates a lot of heat, so power and cooling equipment keeps everything operating optimally.
Generally, data centers use utility-supplied electric power. The power supplied by utility companies can fail at times due to natural disasters and other unforeseen events that cause outages. Therefore, data centers need backup power supply to ensure uptime.
One critical part of that backup power supply is the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that ensures continuous, stable power. Batteries are typically used as energy storage for the UPS to enable a smooth transition while diesel generators are starting up.
Figure 1: UPS battery backup
Figure 2: Diesel generator
Switchgear acts as a hub for distributing electrical power in the data center. It routes power received from the utility or backup generators to systems and equipment. It controls, protects and isolates electrical equipment.
Figure 3: Switchgear
Power distribution units (PDUs) assist in distributing power to the data center. The white boxes on the left in figure 4 are PDUs that feed power to the remote power panel (RPP), which then runs power to the cabinets.
Figure 4: Power distribution unit (PDU) (left) and cooling system (center)
Figure 5: Remote power panel (RPP)
Data center cooling
There are several types of data center cooling technologies used to maintain optimal operating temperatures for IT equipment. These include air and liquid cooling technologies.
The chillers shown in the next photo chill water to the required temperature, and chilled water is then pumped to cooling units located on the data center floor.
Figure 6: Chillers
Chilled water piping carries chilled water from the chillers to the computer room air handler (CRAH) or other cooling equipment in the data center.
Figure 7: Chilled water piping
The CRAH is used to regulate temperatures in the data center. Cool air is pushed under the floor through perforated tiles under each cabinet.
Figure 8: Computer room air handler (CRAH)
Data center cooling technologies are continuing to evolve for greater efficiency. One example is the Cool Array technology used at some Equinix data centers. Cool Array is a new take on fan wall design and is used as part of an on-slab cold-flooded/hot-aisle containment scheme.
Figure 9: Cool Array at Equinix facility in Singapore
Direct-to-chip liquid cooling is another cooling innovation that can be especially helpful for the high-density racks needed for next-generation technologies like AI. Liquid cooling can be delivered directly to components in server cabinets to facilitate more efficient heat transfer. This is a different system than the air cooling described above and requires some server changes, but it offers a lot of promise for cooling high-density deployments.
Figure 10: A row of liquid cooled cabinets
Data center rooftops
The roof of a data center also serves many purposes. It can house cooling and ventilation equipment, solar panels or even plant life.
One of our data centers in Paris features a rooftop greenhouse:
Figure 11: Rooftop greenhouse
External or rooftop solar systems can supply renewable energy power to supplement local grids and support sustainability targets.
Figure 12: Rooftop solar panels in a Melbourne data center
If you’ve never had the opportunity to see inside a data center, hopefully this photo tour gave you a better sense of what they’re like and how much technology it takes for organizations to operate and deliver their products and services.
To learn more about specific Equinix facilities, check out our data center locations. Or take a virtual tour of a data center in London.
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