High-Density Colocation for AI & HPC

The need for high-density colocation is being driven by a confluence of factors including the availability of lower-cost HPC systems based on commodity hardware, the advancement of specialized processor accelerators (e.g., GPUs), the increased use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) applications, and the competitive advantages derived from aggregating and analyzing large data sets. HPC applications require significantly more power per square foot from their data centers than traditional IT resources. Many industries, including government, universities, manufacturing, and biosciences have a growing need for HPC technology but don’t have access to the data center, connectivity, and power infrastructure needed to run it locally.

DC BLOX High-Density Colocation Solution

DC BLOX has developed a special data hall design that accommodates both high-density and standard cabinets within the same space. The data hall supports up to 2.4MW of 3N/2 distributed redundant power, consistent with the concurrently maintainable Tier III design of DC BLOX’s standard data halls. The new hall is designed to accommodate up to 240 standard retail cabinets, typically 2kW to 8kW, and 36 high-density-capable cabinets capable of supporting 34kW of power per cabinet.

In addition, a new “flex space” design enables the efficient allocation of floor space and power between high-density and standard cabinets to accommodate variations in local demand, providing a common space that handles more of either type of cabinet.

DC BLOX’s new high-density data hall will be first added to its Birmingham data center. However, it can be built onto any DC BLOX data center to respond to local customers’ needs.