Data Centre World gives 360 view of cloud tech

Cloud tech talking points included advanced cooling, battery backups, cable testing, innovative power management, and more...
27 March 2023

Cloud tech in focus: Data Centre World gave attendees the chance to explore the latest cloud computing and data center technology from all angles. Image credit: Shutterstock Generate.

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Data Centre World – one of Tech Show London’s most popular satellite events – gives attendees the chance to examine the latest cloud technology in detail. And with so many sides of the business represented under one roof, from cooling to cable-testing, and more, visitors can rapidly get a 360 view of what it takes to maximize data center performance and deliver best-in-class services to customers.

High-profile exhibitors at the show included Cadence, a developer of electronic system design and analysis tools. The firm entered a multi-year partnership with McLaren Racing in 2022 to become an official technology partner of the Formula One team. And the deal gives McLaren, which has a new wind tunnel and simulator scheduled to come online this year, access to Cadence’s advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling software.

It’s little surprise to learn that McLaren Racing plans to use the CFD tools to examine airflow over its cars and improve aerodynamic performance. But what may be less well-known is that the analytics software doesn’t just bring a competitive edge. It also saves customers from having to maintain expensive infrastructure hardware. According to Cadence, its OnCloud SaaS platform, which supports PCB design, multiphysics analysis, and CFD solutions, operates on any hardware, with complex processing demands abstracted to the cloud.

Predictive powers

Critical to the success of cloud-based solutions is the ability to offer customers services that are highly available with minimal downtime. And today, data center operators have a range of options to ensure continuity of service, including being able to anticipate insulation faults that can affect electrical performance. Socomec, an exhibitor at this year’s Data Centre World, offers a residual current monitoring system that can be deployed across the electrical distribution at a facility to warn of faults that may be about to develop.

Growing residual current can be viewed on screen and – thanks to monitors placed at the top of the installation as well as at server bay levels – issues can be localized. What’s more, threshold alarms can be set, which include automated emails, to buy cloud tech facilities management some time and avoid having to suddenly shut down circuits. Also, data is logged on a dedicated web server, which includes time, day, and week records, and gives users the chance to observe any long-term patterns or trends in equipment behavior.

Another important element in ensuring continuity of operations at data centers is having a reliable battery backup. And Leoch Battery was available on the exhibit floor to share insight on keeping systems up and running. The firm’s high-endurance batteries have been used in various reserve power scenarios. For example, deployments include a 1.2 MW installation as part of a data center solution in the financial services sector.

The range of expertise on hand at this year’s event spans a huge number of components. And data center operators need to be confident that all elements in their setups are working as designed and performing to specifications. On this front, Eland Cables highlights its testing and quality assurance facilities. Dubbed the Cable Lab, the firm puts its products through a battery of tests designed to replicate pulling, bending, twisting, and other conditions that key components may face during their lifespan.

Testing can also reveal when equipment has the potential to be reused. Data center sustainability doesn’t just include making greater use of clean energy sources such as wind and solar, plus the deployment of innovative cooling solutions. Firms such as Techbuyer, another vendor with a booth at Data Centre World, makes it possible for operators to confidently deploy refurbished servers.

Cloud tech carbon counting trends

Encouraging companies to seek out alternatives to purchasing brand-new equipment has the potential to accelerate enterprises’ sustainability efforts. And when there are cost savings to be had too, it’s a no-brainer for firms to consider refurbished equipment. Making greater use of refurbished and remanufactured products needs to become much more widespread to meet climate goals. But, naturally, firms will be hesitant unless they can be confident that the used items they’ve purchased work as new. And this is where brokers fit into the process, providing quality assurance.

Suppliers of refurbished and redundant equipment can help in other ways too. For example, Techbuyer gives clients access to a carbon savings calculator that allows customers to determine the emissions saved through either buying refurbished IT devices, or selling used hardware in a responsible manner through IT asset disposition (ITAD) services.

Techbuyer’s sustainability team has considered more than 220 life cycle assessments of various devices and items of enterprise equipment. “The Calculator uses the embodied (production) carbon emissions from these studies to calculate a carbon savings figure compared to new by subtracting the emissions from the refurbishment process,” explains the firm. “[And] we will continually update the tool as more information comes to light.”