Director of Technology for Exyte's Data Center Business Unit Manfred Engelhard and Project Manager Holger Engel give insights into the project, including the modular design, efficient use of space and the innovative cooling system which will use the minimum amount of water.

One of the data center’s standout features is the innovative cooling system, which uses a mix of adiabatic and dry cooling methods. "This combination aims to be as sustainable as possible and is an optimum between the conflict of using as little electrical energy on the one hand and as little water as possible for cooling on the other hand," Engelhard explains.

For most of the time, the data center employs a free cooling method that does not require the use of water. However, when faced with extremely high outdoor temperatures, adiabatic cooling systems are used. “These systems consist of fans that draw ambient air through cooling pads moistened with water. As the water evaporates, the air is naturally cooled and directed towards the cooling surface. Consequently, this approach significantly reduces water consumption when compared to conventional evaporative cooling systems that rely on continuously operating wet cooling towers.”

The amount of water used for cooling is measured by the Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE). The data center was specifically designed to minimize water consumption by carefully choosing the exact right size of the hybrid cooler. The hybrid cooler is the centerpiece of the cooling system and consists of fans, a heat exchanger and liquid cooling infrastructure such as pipes and pumps. “As a result, water consumption occurs only during exceptionally hot days,” says Engel. “This sustainable approach not only contributes to water conservation but also helps address the issue of water scarcity in the region.”

The cooling water and room temperatures were designed to facilitate a highly efficient chiller system. This system operates with an impressive coefficient of performance of 6, meaning that for every unit of electrical energy consumed, it produces 6 units of cooling energy. Additionally, the cooling system is equipped with the capability to operate in free cooling modes, making full use of the natural cooling source of cool outside air, which significantly contributes to energy savings.

Modular design: accelerating construction and adapting to future growth

The project team has placed a strong emphasis on the modularity approach. This approach involves pre-fabricating the systems and assembling them as large skids on-site. By adopting this method, fabrication of the modules can commence while the building construction is still in progress, resulting in accelerated schedules.

The concept also comprises three building modules for the data halls, with each module capable of accommodating ten megawatts of IT capacity. Module 1, which includes the office and network building, has already been completed. "The individual modular building phases incorporate prefabricated concrete components that seamlessly connect to each other, ensuring that no part of the building remains unused until future expansions are required," Project Manager Engels says.

During the design phase, the building height was meticulously optimized in collaboration with the client to accommodate four-story data halls. This approach facilitated a high-density arrangement of server racks within the permissible 25-meter height limit, resulting in a compact design that minimizes land usage. Furthermore, this optimization improved facility efficiency by enabling shorter cable and cooling lines.

State-of-the-art uninterruptible power supply systems

The data center was designed to meet “TIER 3+” redundancy standards and features uninterrupted maintenance. Engelhard explains the term: "Data center tier levels are a system used to describe specific kinds of data center infrastructure resilience. TIER 3 has redundancies in critical components such as power supply with generators and battery backed up UPS (uninterruptible power supply) systems. The cooling generation and cooling distribution supply lines to the data center are strategically configured with diverse routing." These systems are necessary to keep the operations running in case of a power outage, either local or regional. To ensure continuity of equipment functioning, the facility must guarantee that it can operate for a minimum of 48 hours following any power outage.

High-performance location

The location of the data center is strategically significant. It is in the vicinity of the largest Internet Exchange Points (IXP) worldwide, in terms of peak traffic. In December 2022, the IXP DE-CIX in Frankfurt, Germany, had a throughput of 14,4 Terabit per second. That's roughly equivalent to a quantity of three million high-quality videos streaming through the cables simultaneously. The proximity ensures the client with a high-performance interconnection between the data center and the world’s largest networks.