The Edge is Heating Up.
Here’s How to Keep IT Cool.
Cool IT
As edge sites add more applications and manage more data, they are evolving into micro data centers where the heat load can quickly increase. Similar to larger data centers, maintaining IT performance and reliability requires specialized cooling solutions.
The Case for Dedicated Edge Cooling
It can be tempting to deploy edge sites without dedicated cooling, but that decision could put IT equipment at risk. In the tight spaces where edge systems are often deployed, heat can reach dangerous levels quickly. Before you pass on adding cooling to your edge site, consider:
Equipment power densities as low as 2kW can generate enough heat to create issues for IT systems.
Building HVAC systems are designed to cool people, not electronics. They can’t deliver the concentrated and continuous cooling that electronics require. HVAC also provides cooling based on the schedules and preferences of building occupants, not the needs of IT infrastructure.
Small comfort cooling systems can save money in the short term, but they have a short life when providing continuous, year-round cooling. They also lack the communication capabilities that enable remote monitoring. You may only know about a failed cooling system in a remote site when the IT equipment overheats.
It isn’t only IT systems that are vulnerable. UPS battery life can be halved when operating in temperatures 15° F above their rated ambient temperature.
Edge cooling technologies can be integrated into the equipment rack, alleviating any spacing challenges that exist in edge sites.
Small Cooling Systems
Assessing the Options for Edge Data Centers
In this white paper, we’ll look at two general categories of spaces where companies are now routinely installing edge data centers:
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Office environments characterized by standard comfort cooling geared toward humans
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Uncontrolled environments such as manufacturing spaces which may or may not have ambient cooling and humidity control in place
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