F E A T U R E
Without proper management, cabling can obstruct airflow, complicate serviceability and create potential points of failure. AI racks should incorporate integrated vertical and horizontal cable management solutions, pre-cut routing pathways and enhanced tie-down options to ensure clean, efficient cabling. By designing cabinets with cable management in mind, data centre engineers can reduce network congestion and simplify future maintenance, ensuring uninterrupted AI processing.
How do expanded cabinet dimensions specifically benefit AI deployments regarding power distribution and liquid cooling integration?
In addition to significant increases in weight, the physical footprint of AI cabinets is also changing. Whereas traditional racks are typically 42U in height, 24 inches wide and 42 inches deep, AI workloads necessitate larger enclosures to accommodate additional hardware and cooling components. AI racks now extend to 48U, 51U, or even 52U in height, with widths reaching 30 to 36 inches and depths expanding to 54 inches.
These expanded dimensions serve multiple purposes. Taller racks maximise vertical space, reducing the total number of cabinets needed within a facility. Wider racks allow for more effective cable management and power distribution, ensuring that high-bandwidth networking components are not restricted by tight enclosures. Deeper racks provide additional room for cooling infrastructure, facilitating better airflow and liquid cooling integration.
By adopting AI-ready rack dimensions, data centre engineers can future-proof deployments, reducing the need for costly expansions and equipment overhauls in the coming years.
Can you explain the importance of integrated hardware accommodation in Legrand cabinets for supporting multiple intelligent PDUs, environmental sensors and liquid cooling manifolds?
As AI data centres scale, power distribution becomes an increasingly complex challenge. Unlike traditional racks, which may house one or two power distribution units( PDUs), AI racks often require three or four PDUs per cabinet to supply the necessary power for high-density configurations. Standardised power distribution is no
Saman Berookhim, Director of Product and Sales Engineering at Legrand
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