THE BIG PICTURE
Given all this, there's no "right" design or retrofit for data centers. If you're building a new data center, it makes sense to plan for high-density power and cooling from the outset. But Rackspace's Frountan recommends against going overboard. "Cooling systems are always getting more efficient, so it's often cost-effective to plan for retrofits or added capacity in three to five years."
There's a lot of discussion among cooling and power system vendors and data center designers about just how to deploy power backup and cooling systems. No one doubts that oversizing UPSs, generators, and cooling systems costs money in terms of wasted energy, wasted battery life, and initial capital outlay. Yet the economic realities of project planning may simply require that new data centers be initially equipped with the power and cooling they're ever likely to need. It's just the nature of corporate politics that physical infrastructure is most easily budgeted when the building or remodeling actually occurs.
While a more modular design will allow for growth in reasonable increments, corporate overseers need to understand and agree that their investment in a data center isn't a one-time capital expense. They must recognize that incremental designs will lead to lower operating expenses initially, and that expansion will require new capital. If management doesn't think this way, then go for the whole data center enchilada at once.
PROCESSOR, COOL THYSELF
Bob Friday, Chief AI Officer for Juniper Networks, explains how the advanced technology is transforming operations.
Contact center leaders from 8x8, Awaken Intelligence, and 360insight discuss the importance of agent experience.
AI may force enterprises to rewire parts of their data centers so they are fully optimized to run such workloads. The question is do you use Ethernet or InfiniBand?
