Source: Own illustration
The IT-Zauber project, funded by the BMBF as part of the nine joint research projects of the GreenHPC program, aims to improve the efficiency and sustainability of data centres through digital twins. These digital images enable a holistic view of data centres by encompassing the entire operation including the computer load as well as the power supply and cooling infrastructure.
The project focuses on a holistic approach to data centre optimization. Previous energy efficiency efforts have concentrated on individual components, whereas IT-Zauber takes synergies and dependencies in the overall system into account. Options such as the efficient use of waste heat and the selection of processors with different cooling and energy requirements are being investigated. Operational flexibility is also to be made possible to be able to react to fluctuations in energy prices.
Partnership for Innovative Solutions
The two computing centres NHR4CES@RWTH, represented by the IT Center, NHR@TUD of TU Dresden, and the ZIH serve as demo computing centres and are part of the National High-Performance Computing (NHR) and members of the NHR network.
The partnership between universities such as RWTH Aachen University and TU Dresden and industrial partners such as ROM Technik makes it possible to test concepts and technologies at demo computing centres. These data centres serve as the basis for the development and demonstration of the digital twin.
In the planning phase, the digital twin enables the evaluation and comparison of different expansion or construction options for data centres. It provides information on the effects on energy consumption, cooling, and overall performance. In the operating phase, the digital twin serves as a real-time simulation of the data centre and enables the optimization of cooling systems and workload distribution to maximize efficiency.
By integrating data on the cooling infrastructure, power supply and computer load, IT-Zauber enables the development of optimization concepts and control strategies. One aim is to evaluate CO₂ savings that can be achieved through the project results.
Data Collection and Modelling
As part of the consortium, the IT Center contributes extensive experience in monitoring and data collection in data centres. In addition to the existing infrastructure, further data points from the sensors of power supply units, heat exchangers and recooling units were integrated. A prototype data platform of the digital twin is being developed to model the interaction of computer load, energy consumption and heat dissipation.
With the IT-Zauber project, Germany is taking an important step towards designing sustainable and efficient data centres using innovative digital twins.
Responsible for the content of this article is Malak Mostafa.
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