By 2035, information middle electrical energy demand is projected to greater than double, probably reaching 440TWh. That’s the equal of including the electrical energy demand of all the state of California to the U.S. grid.
A lot of this development may be attributed to the widespread use of AI. It’s projected that AI workloads will symbolize 50% to 70% of data center demand by 2030. As AI workloads enhance, information middle operators face a problem: optimizing vitality for each cooling and IT inside allotted energy constraints, that are set by {the electrical} infrastructure capability of the info middle.
For years, I’ve helped HVAC producers design environment friendly followers and pumps for mission-critical information facilities. Assembly the wants of an AI revolution with a constrained electrical grid requires rethinking one of many largest hidden vitality customers: motors.
Motors play a major position in information facilities, powering servers and cooling tools. On this article, I’ll give attention to motors powering cooling tools. Superior motor know-how for cooling has the potential to scale back information middle vitality consumption whereas opening up extra IT capability for brand new AI workloads that may positively affect the underside line.
The Drawback with Standard Motors
In massive amenities, tons of of hundreds of motors drive vital air dealing with and cooling techniques. Demand for them is rising, but most conventional motors waste vitality.
Mechanical techniques, like cooling, usually eat round a 3rd of a knowledge middle’s vitality funds. Most motors utilized in cooling tools at this time have normal sizes, that are specified to horsepower and amperage attracts that exceed the applying’s precise wants. Allocating extra energy capability to cooling than vital reduces the capability out there for revenue-generating workloads.
As well as, information middle cooling techniques hardly ever function at full load. As an alternative, they run between 30%-50% of capability. Standard AC induction motors and lots of conventional EC (electronically commutated) motors expertise a pointy effectivity decline at partial hundreds and decrease speeds.
These components elevate working prices in a knowledge middle, impair the efficiency and reliability of cooling techniques and contribute to pointless electrical infrastructure prices. They will additionally impede development if energy isn’t out there to tackle new AI workloads.
Given the massive position that motors have in cooling tools for information facilities, motor effectivity is turning into an pressing precedence. When designing information facilities for energy optimization and choosing motors for effectivity, there are a couple of vital issues.
Discovering a Flat Effectivity Curve
All motors have an effectivity curve that describes how they are going to carry out at numerous hundreds and speeds. Superior motors that preserve excessive effectivity at decrease speeds and cargo factors are important for optimizing vitality use. A motor that may preserve excessive effectivity throughout a variety of working factors is taken into account to have a flat effectivity curve.
Motors with flat effectivity curves preserve constant efficiency, enhance wire-to-water effectivity in pump techniques and wire-to-air effectivity in fan techniques throughout all the working vary. This functionality permits information facilities to optimize cooling effectivity throughout all kinds of workloads and speeds.
Rightsized Motors for Cooling Techniques
Knowledge facilities profit from cooling techniques that use rightsized motors. Motors which can be rightsized match the precise necessities of an utility and require fewer amps to be reserved for operation, which may be reallocated to the IT server aspect of the enterprise.
Within the design section, information middle operators can customise their cooling techniques with rightsized motors constructed for exact HP, RPM, voltage and different working wants. They will additionally evaluate totally different sized motors to find out the vitality financial savings for cooling techniques.
As a result of rightsizing reduces the quantity of enter present (amperage) for motors, it additionally interprets to improved PUE and reduces electrical infrastructure wants, akin to wiring, circuit breakers and transformers. This may end up in important financial savings within the set up section, however extra importantly, it frees up electrical capability for revenue-generating purposes.
Reallocating Energy for IT Capability
Energy allotted towards the cooling load depends on the circulation and stress vital to chill the server rooms and the related energy of the motors and drives. The related energy is outlined by the facility listed on the nameplate of every fan, pump and VFD.
Since rightsized motors require fewer related energy necessities, they permit operators to keep away from overallocation of energy to cooling and direct extra incoming energy to revenue-generating servers that drive AI workloads.
Utilizing rightsized motors, one massive information middle in Salt Lake Metropolis was capable of cut back a cooling system’s energy allocation by almost 4 MW, which is estimated to permit energy reallocation for a further 13,500 AI servers, which may produce a further $9 million in income yearly.
Designing a knowledge middle with rightsized motors requires foresight, however it might unlock important long-term income potential.
Because the AI revolution takes maintain, information middle operators have a chance to rethink how each watt is spent. Knowledge facilities that leverage extremely environment friendly, rightsized motors for cooling tools can be positioned properly to chop energy waste, liberate electrical capability and scale IT infrastructure for extra AI workloads and in the end a greater backside line.
