Enterprises across the globe are adopting high-performance computing , HPC for Artificial Intelligence and machine learning , model training and inference , causing a swift rise in chip , server , and rack power consumption , thus increasing heat dissipation levels .

For African organisations preparing themselves to deploy liquid cooling , they must be aware of the fact that this is a significant initiative that requires careful planning and consideration of – among other factors – the existing facility ’ s footprint , current thermal management strategy , workloads , and budget .

Traditional air cooling alone within a data centre is not able to accommodate hot-running HPC equipment effectively , meaning that many data centre teams are strategizing how best to design their cooling strategies future-ready in support of evolving business requirements .

IT and facility teams must decide how much space to allocate to new AI , HPC workloads to support current demand and growth over the next few years . Some will convert a few racks at a time , while others could allocate entire rooms for these workloads and supporting the addition of liquid cooling systems .

Data centres must continue to be run efficiently , in a manner that addresses potential infrastructure risks . One such solution is the combined use of both air and liquid cooling options .

This development is primarily being driven by the requirements for increased cooling efficiency , energy savings , scalability , sustainability and higher performance .

One of the main challenges when considering cooling solutions for data centres is the fact that servers need to be kept within certain temperature and humidity limits to function optimally .

Using liquid cooling solutions within the data centre system offers one way to avert issues – if they are using closed loop liquid cooling technology , which means that once the system pipes have been filled with water , there is no water waste . Moreover , a closed water loop is capable of capturing heat to utilise it to warm nearby offices , homes or farms , supporting the circular economy .

One of the main challenges for data centres is the fact that servers need to be kept within certain temperature and humidity limits .

Before developing a business case , teams need to know if retrofitting a facility with liquid cooling systems is technically and economically feasible . The IT and facility team should work with partners to conduct a thorough site audit .

With this data and partner support , IT and facility teams can model the desired hybrid cooling infrastructure in the data centre and identify obstacles to overcome , such as weight restrictions , a lack of on-site water , the need to install new piping , access route concerns , and other issues . Once all issues have been addressed , it is a good idea to contract with a vendor to construct a digital twin replica of the new design to explore new systems and processes in 3D .

www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA 27

Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 95 | Page 27

Enterprises across the globe are adopting high-performance computing , HPC for Artificial Intelligence and machine learning , model training and inference , causing a swift rise in chip , server , and rack power consumption , thus increasing heat dissipation levels .