Emerson recently launched a vendor-neutral framework called Energy Logic, designed to minimise power consumption, space and heat rejection in high-density data centres.

The company used feedback from data centre customers at its twice-yearly user group meetings to create the Energy Logic framework, which is a fully holistic approach for reducing data centre energy use. Emerson's solution for Digital Sense includes aluminium-frame Knurr racks to hold multiple blade servers in place without putting significant added weight on the floor supports or compromising airflow; Liebert UPSs to filter clean power from the grid and to protect the dual power and communication feeds going into each rack; ASCO switches to reliably convert from mains power to generator power in the event of a blackout or routine maintenance without downtime; and the Liebert X-Treme Density (XD) supplemental cooling system to support scalable rack cooling from as little as one kilowatt to more than 25 kilowatts per rack. Deguara said it is like plug and play cooling. For example, a blade server can be added to an existing rack and the XD cooling system will dynamically adapt to the extra heat rejection by simply plugging in an additional cooling pipe.

Digital Sense conducted extensive research at some of the world's largest high-density data centres in the United States to get a better understanding of the logistics required to design, build and operate a similar facility in Australia. "We discovered that capacities of 30-to-40 kilowatts per rack would be very feasible in the next two to three years," Tran said.

"That's why it's so important to get the right mix of infrastructure from the start. The more expensive it is to power and cool the equipment, the more expensive the operating costs.

"Making the wrong infrastructure choices at the design stage can potentially cripple a high-density data centre in the long run." Construction has already started on Digital Sense's Kenmore data centre, which will be open for business later this year. Data Centre City, still in the planning stages, is expected to come online sometime in 2008.