Engineering Data Centres: A Case Study of a Modern Science Based Design

You may not know it, but today data centres are crucial. They underpin modern society’s ability to go about daily life. Every time you use common tools such as the Internet, Google, Facebook, or YouTube, a data centre somewhere is involved in this process.

The data centre industry is seeing huge growth as the global population’s reliance on technology and data usage skyrockets. Demand is on the rise, and with it, so is the power it consumes as well as the associated carbon footprint. But as an integral part of our future, ensuring sustainability within the industry is paramount. As data centres continue to proliferate, it is essential that the efficiency of their architecture and the operations within is world-class. The good news is the search for efficiency is driven by operators, regulators, and customers: it’s in everyone’s interest - both to minimise costs and to act in a socially responsible manner.So, what exactly is a data centre? How did they come to be? You may be surprised to learn the breadth of engineering disciplines involved in the different stages of their lifecycle, from design to day-to-day operations. This industry is growing and calling out for engineering talent to support it.

A purpose-built data centre is a highly technical space. A house built solely for computer residence. In this webinar, Kao Data and Future Facilities will give a brief history of recent data centre development: why they exist, how they are designed, the technologies used, the people involved, the costs, the problems, etc.. We will talk around an example of how modern engineering techniques have been used to progress the application of efficient solutions in a reliable and effective manner.

Gérard Thibault: CTO, Kao Data
Alex Dorn: Engineering Manager EMEA, Future Facilities
Maira Bana: Facilitator, IMechE CBSD