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October 16, 2008, 02:23 PM ET
A Green Supercomputer Center Opens at U. of California at San Diego
The San Diego Supercomputer Center’s new data facility was designed to use less power than conventional data centers. (Alan Decker photo)
As buildings go, data centers can be energy hogs. The servers within them, which heat up like gas griddles, need to be kept cool constantly. In the arctic, that task might be a cinch, but in southern California, it’s obviously more challenging.
Now the San Diego Supercomputer Center, which is part of the University of California at San Diego, is opening an expanded “green” data center that will rely on a number of innovative technologies to reduce power use. Along with common features like low-E window glazing and solar shades, the 80,000-square-foot expansion also features a hybrid heating and cooling system that filters external air to help ventilate the building and maintain optimal humidity.
The most unusual feature in the building is a rack system that encloses the servers and separates the cold air running to the equipment from the hot air coming off of the equipment. Keeping the warm air separate from the cool air will reduce the amount ventilation necessary to keep the servers cool.
The building, which was designed by EHDD Architecture of San Francisco, has been designed to meet the silver-level standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
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