Data centre design removes need for mechanical cooling and delivers 40 construction cost saving
Collaborative process helps deliver one of the lowest energy consumption data centres in the world
Nebius' data centre in Finland with four data halls and total IT load of 40MW is a great example of energy efficient engineering. Royal HaskoningDHV’s Data Centres team was involved in every stage of the project. We helped translate the business case into a design through a collaborative process which explored every conceivable way to simplify the project. Besides low energy, it resulted in one of the lowest-cost high-tech data centres in the world.
A special feature is the absence of mechanical cooling or chillers - outdoor air provides cooling for the data centre using an adiabatic system¹. This was made possible through a mixture of design, IT infrastructure and operational adaptations. In close cooperation with the Nebius' IT department their development team was capable to optimise the design and operational strategy of their servers, which are designed and built in house.
Throughput of external air avoids the need for mechanical cooling
“This use of direct air from outside in cooling is unusual,” says Martien Arts, Mission Critical Facilities, Royal HaskoningDHV. “We designed a unique structure to facilitate it. The building is angled to face the dominant wind direction. The design, which looks like an aeroplane wing, creates differential air pressures at each end to draw the wind through the building. We designed and tested the shape, as well as the impact of wind, pollution, rain and snow.”A heat exchange system in the data centre connects into the district heating for a nearby village in the southern province of Mäntsälä. The building has an extremely low energy consumption and PUE just above 1.0. We ensured it is fit for purpose, customised for Nebius’s equipment and operations, by challenging the design criteria. The process led to construction costs being significantly reduced to nearly half typical data centre builds.
Next generation data centre design
Based on the success of the Finnish data centre, we were asked to develop a design which could be adapted, for multiple climate and seismic zones. It needed to offer the capability of operating in extreme heat or cold and to withstand seismic disturbance or heavy snow.
Our modular blueprint was made up of three sections - the data centre, cooling and electrical part. Each can be modified depending on local conditions. Automated design methods enable changes to be made to the parameters quickly and easily
¹ The physical phenomenon is used in which water that evaporates from the air, extracts heat, and thereby cools a surface.
