Instead of expanding outward, data centers build up

With data center space in high demand lately, facilities are doing everything they can to expand. This now includes building upward, with providers switching from the conventional 42U server racks to nine-bart tall 58U racks– allowing 25% more servers to be placed in the same area.

According to Hossein Fateh, President and CEO of DuPont Fabros Technology:

Our customers are more and more sophisticated, and now they understand that power density is just a matter of how high the racks can go. You can build vertically as well as horizontally, and when you build your rack higher they don’t have to pay extra for it. To be more efficient, they will build a nine bart rack. We just went through the exercise with one customer who hadn’t done it before.

While the taller racks are more efficient space-wise, data centers need to be sure their cooling and electric systems can handle the extra load. So what’s next, an 18-bart super rack?