News Release

July 18, 2024

Launching “Next-Generation Data Center” Project to Contribute to Carbon Neutrality
NTT FACILITIES, INC. (President and CEO: Kazuhiko Matsubara, hereby referred to as “NTT FACILITIES”) launches a next-generation data center project. Our goal is to realize a data center with new value that responds to high heat generation while contributing to carbon neutrality.

Outline

It is said that demand for a data center, which functions as digital infrastructure to support ICT services, will increase further in the future due to advances in information and communication technologies and the popularization of generative AI. Along with this, the power consumption of communication network facilities and data centers is on a remarkable upward trend, while the most prominent hyperscale cloud providers are making progress on realizing carbon neutrality in their data centers. In addition, there is a need for an effective and efficient cooling system for high-performed and high-generating servers. As a new cooling system that replaces the air-cooling system that is currently the mainstream, "liquid-cooled" system, in which cooling liquid is fed into the server and cooled by a cold plate, have emerged and are becoming more popular.

NTT FACILITIES has been constructing large-scale data centers mainly in Japan, North America, and the APAC region for more than 20 years, with a market share of approximately 70%^*1 in Japan. Using this knowledge, we launched a project to develop next-generation data center that will contribute to the carbon neutrality of data centers by fully utilizing liquid cooling systems and servers, with the goal of achieving this by around 2030.

Figure. 1 Next-generation data center image perspective

Next-Generation Data Center Vision

Implementation of a liquid-cooling system has the potential to reduce power consumption for data center cooling by approximately 50%
A liquid-cooling system server is intended to combine liquid cooling and air cooling because liquid-cooling systems alone cannot provide enough cooling for server heat generation. In this project, it is calculated that if all servers installed in the data center are liquid-cooling system servers, approximately 65% of the heat generated by the servers can be cooled by the liquid-cooling system^*2 (the remaining approximately 35% by the air-cooling system), and the power consumption for server cooling, which accounts for approximately 20% of the total power consumption of the entire data center, is estimated to be reduced by approximately 50%^*3. This will contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality of the data center.

The “LCMR (Liquid Cooling Machine Room),” which functions as a CDU^*4 for liquid cooling, and the “ACMR (Air Cooling Machine Room),” which is responsible for air cooling, are separately installed in the data hall to ensure security, to improve the quality of maintenance by securing sufficient space for maintenance, and to achieve an extension capability when adding the server.

Figure. 2 Data hall model plan for liquid-cooling system servers
Natural cooling by outside air using Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM
In the next-generation data center, a “Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM^*5“ made of copper tubes having high thermal conductivity is installed around the periphery of the building like a radiator. This is to circulate the cooling water of the liquid-cooling system servers, which is warmed by the heat from the servers and then cooled naturally by the outside air. In addition, by adopting a water basin around it, heat dissipation is further enhanced by the vaporization heat from the water basin. As a result, it is estimated that the facility power consumption required for cooling can be reduced, and that cooling can be completed only with the Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM depending on outside air conditions, for example in winter and the intermediate season. Also, waste heat from servers is used for heating offices and supplying hot water in the data center and as a source of hot water for the surrounding area. This will contribute to energy saving throughout the region.

Figure. 3 Next-generation data center image perspective (Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM with copper tubes around the periphery of the building)

Figure. 4 Sectional configuration of next-generation data center and Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM
Creating a new data center in harmony with the local community
With the introduction of liquid-cooling system servers, servers are expected to become five times more integrated and densified (aprrox. 40 kW/rack) than before (aprrox.8 kW/rack) ^*6. NTT FACILITIES estimates that the area of the data hall will be reduced to approximately one third. As a result, the volume of the entire building will be reduced, and data center business owners will have more options^*7, such as location and site utilization planning.

Because the data center requires high level of security, it exists as a building independent of the surrounding area of the site. As a new vision of a data center, NTT FACILITIES aims to realize a data center in harmony with the local community through its characteristic exterior design, water basins located around the building, and public zones, while ensuring security.

Future plan

Toward the early realization of the next-generation data center concept, we will respond to the needs of hyperscale cloud providers, and other data center operators, including NTT Group, by conducting technical verification, examining ways to utilize waste heat, and considering further improvement of energy-saving performance.

NTT FACILITIES presents the ideal state of data centers from multiple perspectives, including the ability to respond to the high heat generation and density of data centers, the achievement of carbon neutrality, and the harmonization with the local community. Additionally, we provides integrated services from design and configuration, sales of air conditioning and electric power equipment to maintenance, we will contribute to a sustainable future toward the realization of a regional recycling-oriented society while supporting ICT services.

Explanatory Notes and Glossary

*¹Percentage of data center involvement to be completed from 2023 to 2025 (Based on the number of cases surveyed by NTT FACILITIES)

*²Calculated based on the specifications of liquid-cooling system servers currently available. Depending on the type, configuration, and manufacturer of server, the ratio of liquid-cooling system and air-cooling system models varies.

*³Calculated value based on comparison with the power consumption of the data center of air-cooling system designed and constructed by NTT FACILITIES

*⁴CDU (Cooling Distribution Unit)
System for directly supplying liquid at required temperature to liquid-cooling system servers

*⁵Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM
“Pre-Cool Coil Wall^TM” is pending trademark registration.

*⁶Calculated by comparing the power consumption per rack of commonly used servers in data centers designed and constructed by NTT FACILITIES and the power consumption per rack of liquid-cooling system servers on the market.

*⁷Confirmation and consultation with the government are required.

*⁸Data center maintenance is performed by NTT Anode Energy Corporation.