Huawei recently gained headway on its quest to a smarter and green data centre by recently launching is a next-generation solution that allows any room to be used as a data centre.
With far lower requirements placed on net height, the new solution has no need for a traditional raised floor design. Instead, air conditioner pipes and strong- and weak-current cables are routed from the top, meaning that equipment can be accommodated in ceiling heights as low as 2.6 m, far below the 3m minimum height required for a traditional data centre.
Called the Smart Modular Data Center 5.0, the solution is fitted with Huawei’s proprietary Smarti technology that allows the UPS to have an extremely low load-bearing requirements — falling below 1000 kg/m2 for Tier III and Tier IV datacentre in TIA-942. This means meaning the power supply system and Information Technology (IT) devices can be deployed in the same room, sharing the same space.
Without the need for a separate power room, the new solution cuts the space needed for the lithium batteries by 75%, compared with lead-acid alternatives, meaning more revenue-generating IT cabinets can be deployed instead.
Furthermore, being a modular solution means flexible capacity expansion becomes possible – from the power module to the battery module – where enterprises only pay for what they need, significantly reducing Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), and simply expanding when the need arises.
“Simply put, the solution accommodates all budgets, dramatically reducing the size of the initial investment required,” said Zhenfu Fei, president of Huawei Data Center Facility Domain. "Huawei Smart Modular Data Center 5.0 uses AI to build next level datacentre intelligence, making full use of our proprietary smart lithium battery — SmartLi — to implement full lithium battery backup."
Digital twinning and the use of AI robot
With its Smarti technology, Huawei has also designed a smarter datacentre solution with AI robot and digital twin capabilities to simplify operations and maintenance (O&M).
It uses a 43-inch local touch screen to integrate Information & Communication Technology (ICT), AI algorithms, intelligent communications, and infrastructure. Digital twinning is implemented for physical modular datacentres and intelligent i3 features — iPower, iCooling, and iManager — are also accommodated on the local smart screen:
- iPower: Visualised datacentre power distribution links, key modules to systems, and predictive maintenance.
- iCooling: Visualised cooling links and AI cooling energy efficiency optimisation boost Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) by 8%, to 15%.
- iManager: Global datacentre visualisation, diagnosis, and optimisation reduce O&M costs by 35%.
Meanwhile, facial recognition can be used to enable the access control function and log in to the management system, reinforcing security. The goal is to present intelligence, clearly and intuitively, accelerating O&M and, ultimately, bringing down costs.
"With the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), increasing demands are placed on datacentres, in turn driving their advancement as the cornerstones of the intelligent digital world."
