Intelligent Data Centres Issue 82 | Page 26

AS DENSITIES AND THE NUMBER OF PRE-INSTALLED COMPONENTS CONTINUE TO RISE, STATIC, DYNAMIC AND SHIPPING LOAD CAPACITIES NEED TO SCALE ACCORDINGLY. rack and stack deployments remain common, focusing primarily on loading and wiring IT equipment, pre-configured AI racks go further. The sheer volume of electrical and network wiring makes factory pre-configuration essential to maintain quality and consistency at scale. Pre-configured racks arrive ready for installation, minimising on-site labour and reducing errors. longer sufficient; intelligent PDUs with real-time monitoring and predictive analytics are essential for optimising power utilisation and preventing inefficiencies.
F E A T U R E

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AS DENSITIES AND THE NUMBER OF PRE-INSTALLED COMPONENTS CONTINUE TO RISE, STATIC, DYNAMIC AND SHIPPING LOAD CAPACITIES NEED TO SCALE ACCORDINGLY. rack and stack deployments remain common, focusing primarily on loading and wiring IT equipment, pre-configured AI racks go further. The sheer volume of electrical and network wiring makes factory pre-configuration essential to maintain quality and consistency at scale. Pre-configured racks arrive ready for installation, minimising on-site labour and reducing errors. longer sufficient; intelligent PDUs with real-time monitoring and predictive analytics are essential for optimising power utilisation and preventing inefficiencies.
Beyond power, AI racks must seamlessly integrate with a growing array of supporting infrastructure, including multiple types of environmental sensors, redundant networking components and direct-to-chip liquid cooling solutions. These integrations are critical for both performance and operational efficiency. Engineers should specify racks that not only accommodate today’ s AI hardware but also allow for the weight of additional high-density servers for future adaptations, ensuring that the infrastructure remains relevant as processing demands continue to evolve.
How do pre-configured and factory-wired AI rack solutions address the need for accelerated deployment and maintain quality control for complex, high-density environments?
The speed at which AI is evolving demands a faster approach to infrastructure deployment. Traditionally, data centre teams assemble racks on site, a process that can take days or even weeks. Today, pre-integrated AI rack solutions are streamlining infrastructure deployment and shortening traditional timelines.
Finally, the weight of fully loaded AI racks requires that they be structurally engineered for transport, ensuring stability and security during shipment and placement. To meet these demands, racks should comply with the ISTA 3B standard, which simulates real-world delivery stresses – including vibration, impact and compression – to ensure their durability in real-world conditions. By leveraging pre-configured AI racks, data centre operators can accelerate time to market, reduce labour costs and ensure infrastructure readiness in record time.
Considering the ongoing evolution of AI hardware, what is the next major design change or integration requirement you foresee for server cabinets to remain viable for future high-performance computing?
As densities and the number of pre-installed components continue to rise, static, dynamic and shipping load capacities need to scale accordingly. Much of this demand will likely be driven by cooling requirements, as the power evolution is easier to predict. Testing requirements are also likely to evolve, with power and fluid systems increasingly integrated within the same enclosure. For companies like Legrand, this means accelerating innovation, developing, testing and delivering advanced products to meet evolving AI infrastructure demands.
You can find out more about Legrand’ s cabinets for AI and machine learning environments here �
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