What The Tech: How do you keep data centers cool?

When you process a lot of data, you need data centers. But that much data can really make the system over­heat. It takes a lot of cooling and a lot of money to pay for it. So is there a cheaper, less energy-inten­sive way to keep your hot data cool?


More and more data is ending up in data centers, and more and more data centers are consuming more and more energy. Trends such as mobile internet, cloud computing and networking in various walks of life are natu­rally fueling this. As a result, capac­i­ties are being expanded all the time. Together, they consume more energy than the whole of Berlin. What’s more, data centers still often produce a lot of CO2, even though more and more atten­tion is being paid to sustain­ability here, too.

Inci­den­tally, cooling is the area that requires the most energy in data centers. To ensure that parts working around the clock aren’t damaged or even destroyed by the heat gener­ated, most of the cooling capacity is put into regu­lating the temper­a­ture of the hard­ware. But this is becoming increas­ingly diffi­cult, as the avail­able instal­la­tion space is also becoming smaller within data centers, while the packing density, computing power and there­fore the cooling capacity required are increasing.

What is needed here are inge­nious fans that can generate more pres­sure against the high packing density and trans­port more air with the same diam­eter. And they must be fitted in a system that is as effi­cient as possible. This is where the data also helps in the data center. For example, temper­a­ture, speed, air flow and oper­ating status can be displayed and regu­lated in real time. This saves energy, money and reduces CO2 emis­sions.

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