F E A T U R E
As operators plan for higher power demands, what are some of the key factors or trade-offs they need to consider when selecting a power distribution system?
Before this rapid evolution of GPUs, power requirements were growing relatively slowly, which meant operators could choose fairly static systems.
You could develop your design and expect it to remain valid for the next 18-36 months, which is a typical data centre project cycle. What we’ re seeing today is that GPU iterations are happening much faster, creating considerable design uncertainty.
One of the key considerations when designing a data centre and selecting equipment is moving away from static designs that could become outdated within a year or two.
Operators need to think about keeping pace with increasing power requirements while future-proofing their infrastructure against the unknown.
The biggest takeaway is to focus less on static equipment and more on flexible solutions. If your rack power requirements change 18 months from now, potentially while your project is still under development, you need to be able to adapt.
That could mean adopting an open-channel busway, which allows rapid installation and reconfiguration, or planning additional space to accommodate future developments.
Ultimately, it comes down to building flexibility into your design and ensuring that the technology you install doesn’ t become outdated almost as soon as the data centre becomes operational.
What safety considerations come with these higher power levels?
It all stems from increasing power requirements. A 10-kW rack is very different from a 150-kW rack.
As power requirements increase, incident energy can also increase, potentially raising the risks to personnel working with electrical equipment. Incident energy is an important measure when assessing electrical safety risks.
Operators should revisit their safety programmes and ensure their personnel are properly trained to work with these higher power levels. They need to have appropriate safety procedures in place, including proper personal protective equipment( PPE) and training programmes.
The key is to ensure that the rapid evolution of power requirements does not outpace the organisation’ s safety programme. My advice would be for operators to review their existing safety programmes and ensure they remain aligned with the equipment being deployed today.
The current environment is very different from what it was just two years ago.
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