How Tariffs Might Impact your Data Center
Welcome to Keep Your Cool - a blog about simple cooling optimization strategies for the busy data center operators.
If you’re thinking about adding or retrofitting cooling units, recent tariff increases could hit you in two ways—your budget and your timeline.
Some replacements are unavoidable. If a system is at end-of-life or no longer supported, you have no choice. But if you’re upgrading because of higher rack densities or AI workloads,you could have more capacity than you think. Before you commit to new equipment, it’s worth checking what your current system can actually deliver.
Here’s the challenge: most cooling components—PCBs, motor drives, VFDs, sensors, relays, microcontrollers, compressors, heat exchangers—are made overseas, especially in Asia. With tariffs climbing, the price of these parts is going up. And with supply chain delays still lingering, lead times for new systems can stretch from weeks into months.
Lately, we’ve been going to different customer sites to conduct cooling audits. It’s helpful for the client because they get to evaluate their cooling strategy — do they have enough cooling? what is their backup plan? how long do I have if something fails. It’s helpful for us because we get to see the different cooling pain points and tinker with better solutions (our favorite).
Example of our Cooling Resiliency Test
Example Data for our Cooling Resiliency Test
For one project, our customer we help a retailer evaluate their cooling redundancy strategy. They had a history of cooling unit issues and were running with temporary units as a stop gap. Our team went in, assessed the cooling strategy, worked with the IT head and facilities team, and ran a series of resiliency tests. At the end they were able to know exactly how long they could actually run on backup power and where they needed to upgrade. You can read the case study here. No matter how in control you are of your facility, it’s helpful to have an extra pair of eyes…or another person to help you justify that new CapEx expense.
This is where we can help. Purkay Labs uses non-intrusive thermal assessments to give you a clear picture of what your system can do. We measure cooling capacity, airflow, loads, and containment—without disrupting operations. Often, we find stranded or underused capacity that can buy you time and keep your capital budget intact.
This kind of assessment not only avoids unnecessary CapEx, it helps you prepare for worst-case scenarios without guesswork.
If you’re facing cooling decisions, I’d be happy to talk them through with you. For the next month, I’m offering free 30-minute spots to review your site and see if there’s untapped capacity or resiliency gaps you should know about before making your next move.
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About the Author
Gregg Haley is a data center and telecommunications executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience. Most recently served as the Senior Director of Data Center Operations - Global for Limelight Networks. Gregg provides data center assessment and optimization reviews showing businesses how to reduce operating expenses by identifying energy conservation opportunities. Through infrastructure optimization energy expenses can be reduced by 10% to 30%.
In addition to Gregg's data center efforts, he has a certification from the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) as Business Continuity Planner. In November of 2005, Gregg was a founding member and Treasurer of the Association of Contingency Planners - Greater Boston Chapter, a non-profit industry association dedicated to the promotion and education of Business Continuity Planning. Gregg had served on the chapter's Board of Directors for the first four years. Gregg is also a past member of the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS).
Gregg currently serves as the Principal Consultant for Purkay Labs.