In the digital age, data centers are the backbone of modern society. They are the custodians of vast amounts of information, serving as the lifeline for businesses, governments, and individuals alike. However, the energy it demands have reached staggering levels, and with growing concerns about climate change and sustainability, improving power efficiency has become a critical issue.
Challenges in the Philippines
Carlo Malana, the CEO of STT GDC Philippines, has highlighted that the company faces certain challenges that restrict their flexibility in optimizing data center operations for greater efficiency.
Tropical Climate
“The number one challenge is just where we are and the climate that we have to deal with. Besides the high temperature, we also have high humidity as typical of a tropical climate,” said Malana.
These high temperatures and humidity pose a number of problems for data centers located in tropical environments, most notably hindering the use of certain cooling techniques.
“So that definitely limits our options in terms of how we can use things like ambient cooling and similar types of techniques to increase our efficiency,”
Understandably, ambient cooling – which relies on using outside air to lower temperatures is less effective in such conditions.
Similarly, the high humidity levels bring with them a greater power requirement in order to remove the additional moisture from the air.
Slow Adoption of Efficient Cooling Technologies
According to Malana, “The second challenge is we still haven’t seen the adoption of more efficient cooling technologies that we know already exist in the market. The adoption of more efficient technologies has been very slow. It’s there, but there are no standards yet. So when you’re doing it at scale, it presents quite a challenge”.
Direct liquid cooling, which is highly efficient, remains nascent in the market, with the majority of data centers still relying on air cooling to dissipate heat from servers. The absence of industry standards for these advanced cooling technologies complicates their widespread implementation.
Renewable Energy Availability and Distribution
Malana also believes that the power source itself is key.
“Another challenge for us here is about the availability of renewable energy, we’re really looking to see a better way to be able to utilize renewable energy generation”.
The pursuit of sustainability goals has been a key driver leading data centers in the Philippines to explore renewable energy sources for their power needs. However, Malana believes this brings about two key challenges. Firstly, there’s a question of whether enough renewable energy is being generated in order to meet the demands of data centers. Secondly, the storage and distribution of renewable energy pose logistical challenges. Data centers require a constant power supply, but many renewables like solar or wind energy can often be intermittent.
Promising Technologies
In terms of strategies, Malana believes that there’s a few things that should be mentioned.
Direct Liquid Cooling
As mentioned earlier, direct liquid cooling is a highly efficient method for dissipating heat from servers. By directly circulating a coolant through server components, it offers superior thermal performance compared to air cooling. While its adoption is slow, it holds immense promise for improving power efficiency.
Advanced Cooling Techniques
Beyond direct liquid cooling, other advanced cooling techniques are emerging. Fan walls, which allow for scalable cooling, and innovative containment designs are simple yet effective strategies to increase efficiency. Additionally, magnetic levitation chillers for cooling systems can reduce energy consumption by dynamically adjusting their resistance.
Uniform Standards and Regulations
To accelerate the adoption of efficient technologies, there’s a pressing need for uniform standards and regulations. Establishing guidelines for substation requirements, design specifications, and energy-efficient practices can streamline the process of building and upgrading data centers.
Adoption Beyond the Philippines
The challenges and solutions discussed by Malana are not unique to the Philippines. Across the ASEAN region and beyond, data centers face similar issues related to power efficiency and sustainability. Therefore, the strategies developed and lessons learned in the Philippines can serve as a valuable blueprint for other countries in the region.
Improving power efficiency in data centers is an imperative not only for businesses but also for the environment. In the Philippines, the challenges posed by the tropical climate, slow technology adoption, and energy availability are significant.
However, with the adoption of advanced cooling technologies, adherence to uniform standards, and a commitment to renewable energy, data centers can lead the way towards a more sustainable digital future, not just in the Philippines but across the ASEAN region and the world.