AIR COOLING IS DEAD! OR IS IT?
Welcome to Keep Your Cool - a blog about simple cooling optimization strategies for the busy data center operators.
The experts have spoken: air-cooled data centers are about to become extinct, replaced by hyperscale facilities jammed with GPUs generating more heat than a thousand space heaters packed in a single room.
Okay that’s a stretch. While hyperscalers are building GPU-heavy sites; butthe end of the air cooled data center is still a ways off. Most enterprise operators aren’t in a position to rip and replace with fully loaded GPU builds, and colocation providers continue to rely on the legacy air cooling baked into their infrastructure.
Certainly there will be some colocation providers that take advantage of unused space and build out a liquid cooled infrastructure that a client is ready to take the plunge (pardon the pun) into immersion cooling, or cold plate cooling, or any of the other iterations available. The trend is real—but it won’t be uniform or overnight.
In the meantime, managing air cooling efficiently has never been more critical. As IT loads tilt toward liquid-cooled GPUs, the balance between air-cooled IT and the existing cooling infrastructure gets tricky. Ignore airflow dynamics, and you risk wasted energy, higher costs, and uncomfortable surprises.
The changes in the airflow dynamics of the air cooled data center can be significant and without exceptional thermal monitoring, opportunities to make adjustments can be missed. Several monitors spread across a single data hall cannot capture the whole picture. Rack by rack monitoring through embedded monitoring, or via Thermal Assessment Services can identify opportunities for making efficiency adjustments.
Here’s the problem: a handful of sensors scattered across a hall can’t capture the full picture. Airflow shifts are complex, and without rack-level monitoring or targeted thermal assessments, efficiency opportunities slip away.
That’s where Purkay Labs comes in. Our rack-level monitoring tools and Thermal Assessment Services help operators pinpoint hidden risks, tune airflow, and make the most of existing cooling systems—while preparing for what’s next.
If this sounds familiar, schedule a free thirty minute discussionwith our thermal experts. We’ll help you bridge today’s cooling challenges while getting ready for tomorrow’s landscape.
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.
About Purkay Labs
Purkay Labs provides practical tools and services for data center cooling validation. Our flagship solution, AUDIT-BUDDY, is a portable rack-level temperature and humidity monitor used by operators, engineers, and facility managers for spot-checks, commissioning, and troubleshooting. We also offer thermal surveys, resiliency testing, and consulting services across North America.
Our goal: help operators bridge the gap between today’s cooling strategies and tomorrow’s infrastructure—fast, accurate, and without unnecessary complexity.