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APL assists IFP Energies Nouvelles with outfitting a very high-density data center

Customer name :IFP Energies nouvelles
Area of business :Public sector
Accompanying mode :Consulting - Project management
Type of service :Outfitting of a very high-density data center

The IFPEN, a public institution dedicated to research, industrial innovation, and training, wanted to install a 110-teraflop supercomputer in a small building that had not initially been designed to house a computer room.
APL was retained by the IFPEN to outfit this room, based on its expertise in designing very high-density and eco-efficient data centers.

Project objective

  • Outfit an existing building, initially designed for offices, so that it can house a supercomputer with 6 racks of very high density (32 kW/rack) and conventional servers of medium density (4–8 kW/rack)
  • Allow for 6 new racks of very high density (with a scalable load of 200–400 kW) to eventually be housed in the building
  • Perform the works on an active site
  • Optimize the data center’s energy consumption

Services provided

  • Expression of needs and feasibility studies
  • Assistance with selecting a supercomputer
  • Research on energy-efficient cooling technologies that are effective for each type of computer equipment
  • Organization of the computer room: the room houses two areas of different densities in the same space, cooling systems capable of accommodating IT demands
  • Management of works on an active site: technical validation and coordination of companies involved
  • Energy optimization: installation of measurement points in order to verify the site’s energy efficiency

Client benefits

  • A data center that serves as a technological showcase in the research field
  • Levels of service continuity tailored to the needs of a research institution, as well as hosted equipment
  • Energy efficiency, thanks to a selection of cooling systems tailored to each type of computer equipment
  • Optimization of energy consumption: target PUE=1.48 at 100% load (i.e., 400 kW IT), saving €28k/yr

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