F E A T U R E

In the age of Artificial Intelligence( AI), the server cabinet is no longer just housing, it’ s a critical strategic component facing unprecedented demands in power, thermal management and cabling complexity. As AI workloads soar, traditional air cooling is failing. Saman Berookhim, Director of Product and Sales Engineering at Legrand, explores modern cabinet design to address these hurdles and discusses how necessary design evolutions accelerate deployment while ensuring long-term viability for the future of high-performance AI computing.

Beyond simply holding equipment, what is the most critical strategic role a modern server cabinet plays in enabling the performance and long-term scalability of AI workloads?

The modern cabinet has evolved into a critical integration platform for AI deployments. Beyond housing equipment, modern cabinets enable performance and scalability by managing power, cooling, sensors and cable systems while providing structural support for heavier, denser equipment. Data centre engineers must carefully evaluate specifications to ensure their cabinets are not only sufficient for today’ s AI workloads but also capable of supporting the next generation of Machine Learning models and high-performance computing( HPC) applications. Choosing the wrong solution can lead to inefficient cooling, increased operational costs and long-term scalability issues.

Why are increased AI workload demands( up to 100 kW per rack) making traditional air-cooling and airflow optimisation inside the cabinet insufficient?

Heat is the inevitable byproduct of high-performance AI computing. As power density increases, so does the challenge of keeping AI hardware within the correct operating temperatures. AI racks can consume 100 kW per cabinet,

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