The 2024 Datacloud Global Congress brings together leaders from the worlds of finance and technology, representatives of corporations and governments, as well as energy experts and surface and subsea connectivity professionals. Cooperation between them is now very much in demand, then the growth of AI applications represents both an economic opportunity and a technological challenge for the entire industry. How can the huge increase in IT infrastructure be managed so that AI can provide the sought-after benefits? Which partners can help with new technologies and accelerate projects? To this end, Rittal is entering into a dialogue with partners and visitors. And the highlights on show include a new solution to provide direct liquid cooling of over 1 MW and a new rack to accelerate the expansion of colocation.
A new technological landscape is required above all for cooling, because the power density that AI applications need and the already widespread high-performance computing are pushing air cooling to its very limits. In close cooperation with multiple hyperscalers and server OEMs, Rittal has developed a modular cooling solution delivering a cooling capacity of over 1 MW with single-phase direct liquid cooling to make the necessary power densities achievable.
High performance made easy
The secret to its success is the way several coolant delivery units are distributed across interchangeable modules inside the rack. The whole solution is designed for easy serviceability. How does it work? The Open Rack V3, which Rittal helped develop in the Open Compute Project (OCP), offers a number of advantages: Rittal uses the interfaces already defined in the OCP to set up an in-row CDU (Coolant Distribution Unit) based on the ORV3. Depending on performance requirement, functional units such as the central controller unit and several coolant conveying units (CCUs) are completely modular and integrated into the rack in slide-in units. This concept offers a major benefit in terms of service: Components such as controllers, sensors or the pump units of the in-row solution can be maintained during operation and easily replaced via “hot swap”. Power is supplied via the standardised PSUs (power shelf units, with their power supply and power supply units) and the DC busbar in the rack.
The cooling solution is a welcome addition to the Rittal system range of building blocks. It offers coordinated modules for every element of the data centre OT, including rack, cooling, power, monitoring and security. The technology is also ideal for reducing the CO2 footprint by heat recovery. Rittal is using its experience to support data centre planning so that the heat is transported efficiently from the rack's manifold for further uses, such as district heating networks.
Everything in the rack
“Increasingly, power, cooling and monitoring are being directly integrated into the standardised rack as fundamental pillars of the IT infrastructure. The main drivers of this trend are multiple hyperscalers and server OEMs. We are their main rack supplier,” says Philipp Guth, Rittal Internationals CTO: “We are convinced that this concept will soon become the standard for our global IT customers because ever higher performance and rapid scaling will be needed. Besides hyperscalers, it will also become interesting for increasing numbers of colocators and enterprise customers.”
Speed for colocation
The colocation market is booming, and so is the demand for data centres. IT infrastructures have to deliver a lot: a high level of energy efficiency, assured quality and reliability, global standardisation, as well as the proof and receipt of certification. At the same time, the components have to be coordinated with each other and be quickly scalable. Rittal is helping colocation providers meet these requirements and help them respond quickly to rising demand with its new TX Colo Rack. “Our new rack allows providers to act swiftly and at the highest level. They can equip their white spaces with immediately available, standardised solutions of the highest quality,” asserts Anna Klaft, Vice President of Rittal’s IT Business Unit.: Full integration of new cooling solutions and other elements into the Rittal system platform is a key lever for rolling out the infrastructure needed for AI applications on a large scale – from large hyperscale data centres to small enterprise data centres.”