High Density Cooling: A Practical Application For Water In The Data Center  

t is a well known fact that the latest computing technology is pushing the limits of today’s data centers in more ways than one. Most end users cite challenges in space utilization, power delivery, cooling, and even structural loading. Server form factors have shrunk from the multi-EIA unit packages of yesterday to the sleek blade form factor that allows as many as 84 servers to be packaged in a single rack. Consolidation of applications from larger, legacy machines to the smaller, more powerful blades creates both the ability and the desire to pack more servers into existing data center spaces. This increases the importance of collaboration between the business partners who share ownership of different portions of the data center, namely the IT and facilities organizations.

Georgia Tech’s Razor HPC cluster, at the Institute’s Center for the Study of Systems Biology (CSSB), demonstrates a cross-organizational, collaborative solution for space utilization and cooling.