Silent-Aire, a global manufacturer of HVAC equipment and modular data centers, announced the grand opening of its 146,000 square foot US headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona. The company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility with Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels and other federal, state, and local officials.
Data center designers and managers who are looking for ways to reduce water usage and energy costs often find that traditional cooling technologies are not the answer.
Since the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive was passed more than 10 years ago by the European Union (with many countries passing their own versions of the law), IAQ in data centers has become a major issue.
Challenged to do more with less, data centers are seeking innovative ways to keep operating costs as low as possible — all while computer technologies may be changing as often as every three months. In a market demanding denser and more powerful electronics, data centers are pressed for cooling technology that can keep up with the times.
As data centers evolve, so do the comfort systems that protect these facilities’ vital infrastructure. One common solution lies in air handlers, which come in many configurations, shapes, and sizes.
Proper indoor air quality and adequate humidity levels are imperative to safe and efficient data center operations. Humidification in data centers is required to prevent electrostatic discharge, which can damage servers and network products, and offers the benefit of high capacity, low cost evaporative cooling.
The scale of energy consumption may be more of a surprise, though, as estimates show that data center spaces can consume up to 100-200 times as much electricity as standard office spaces. With that large amount of power being used by a growing number of data centers, the pressure is on to implement energy-efficient design measures that can save money and reduce electricity use.
With thermal risks still accounting for 29 percent of unplanned data center outages, data center optimization company, EkkoSense, has detailed how organizations need a more structured thermal approach to kick their addiction to over-cooling — cooling now accounts for 35 percent of overall data center energy consumption.
Siemens and Vigilent announced a reseller partnership in North America to jointly provide customers with a comprehensive and unique thermal optimization solution that addresses data center cooling challenges.