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The University of
Southern California was focused on upgrading their facilities
for increased computer power to accommodate a higher ranked high
density configuration for their supercomputer. Based on our Critical
Facilities expertise, Syska Hennessy Group was selected to evaluate
the facility and make recommendations for the design and configuration
of the systems.
Prior to our involvement and proper evaluation of the facility,
USC’s IT Department started partial installation of equipment.
As they continued to populate the space, server output reached
temperatures in excess of 120° leading to suspicions of inadequate
cooling capacity. The facilities team identified the issue and
selected Syska to study and measure their facility in a live
environment and validate their assumptions.
We were able to identify two major problems: improper air distribution
and lack of air conditioning capacity. Given our knowledge and
expertise in critical data center environments, Syska was able
to identify air patterns and better predict how these would affect
various cooling solutions. Having already researched and documented
dozens of different scenarios, our team was able to look at past
CFD modeling history to help pinpoint the best system alternatives.
Syska presented multiple recommendations to USC, and the team
decided to move forward with implementation of a combined under
floor and overhead air system as it appeared to be the most effective.
This non-traditional solution uses new perforated floor tile
(nine times more effective than the original) in conjunction
with Liebert’s new air conditioning system, the Extreme
Density Chiller (XDC), the first of its kind installed in the
country.
Our solution resulted in the First Field Application (FFA) of
the XDC. We led the consulting team in working very closely with
the owner, the users, and the vendors. We were able to expedite
delivery of materials at a lower cost for the client, thus saving
time and money. The entire project was delivered in two months,
from the beginning of design to the end of construction. Recently
ranked the 31st most powerful computer system in the world, USC’s
supercomputer currently supports more than 80 research projects
in a variety of disciplines.
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