As demand for AI pushes data centre rack power from 20kW to 130kW, the industry is hitting the physical limits of air cooling. Experts at a recent CIBSE Journal roundtable, held in collaboration with Tate, discuss how Nvidia’s new Blackwell chips are forcing a rapid transition to liquid cooling – and why engineers must design for a high-density future
Tag: data centres
Engineering at scale: keeping pace with data centres
As the data centre industry shifts to facilities featuring 5,000-plus servers, Molly Tooher-Rudd speaks to Carrier’s Michel Grabon about the challenges the industry faces to hyperscale infrastructure with high power demands, rapid cooling and holistic thermal management
Rewiring the future: closing the data centre knowledge gap
As data centre demand surges, engineers are racing to redesign power, cooling and infrastructure systems. Molly Tooher-Rudd finds out how CIBSE’s Data Centre Special Interest Group is tackling these challenges
Power struggle: data centre design in the age of AI
AI is driving an exponential demand for data centres, which is leading to surging energy requirements, rising cooling demand and grid limitations. Molly Tooher-Rudd finds out how engineers are responding to sustainability challenges in the sector
Turning waste into warmth: how data centres can heat tomorrow’s cities
Aecom has helped develop a vast energy centre in West London that will pipe waste heat from data centres into 10,000 new homes and existing businesses via a heat network. The company’s Asad Kwaja looks at the ‘architecture’ behind the design