Market Trends of Uk Data Center Cooling Industry
IT and Telecom to Hold Significant Share
- Institutionalization is becoming a focal point for the telecommunications industry, aiming to oversee digital transformation. This endeavor is seen as pivotal for nurturing the digital economy and society. Notably, the telecom industry accounts for 4% to 5% of the UK GDP, underscoring its significance in bolstering the nation's economic and social fabric.
- In May 2023, mobile networks in the United Kingdom facilitated the upload and download of 905 million gigabytes of data. This marked a roughly 25% surge compared to May 2022, fueled by evolving consumer habits and the rising adoption of artificial intelligence. As data traffic escalates, telecom data centers are witnessing a heightened demand for cooling solutions, driven by substantial power consumption and an emphasis on reducing carbon emissions.
- Furthermore, the UK government has initiated two tenders for cloud services, potentially accounting for a combined expenditure of up to GBP 7.5 billion (USD 9.5 billion) under framework agreements. This move is set to amplify data surges, significantly heightening traffic congestion and escalating the demand for data center cooling.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
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Liquid Cooling to Hold Significant Growth
- In the United Kingdom, data centers predominantly utilize water for temperature regulation. This is particularly true for facilities employing traditional cooling tower methods instead of the more efficient hybrid or adiabatic systems. Liquids possess a significantly higher heat capacity than air, with water proving to be 4,000 times more efficient. Given rack density estimates exceeding 50 kW, this technology presents opportunities for enhanced energy efficiency in data centers, especially when juxtaposed with air-cooled sites.
- In the country, thousands of swimming pools are grappling with energy challenges. To cater to cloud users with an HPC cluster, Deep Green set up a 28 kW system. This innovative technology, inspired by Deep Green's proprietary immersion cooling tubs, uses oil to extract server heat. The heated oil is then cycled through a heat exchanger, effectively warming the pool. Deep Green supplies free heat to the Exmouth Leisure Centre and covers its electricity costs. Additionally, in March 2023, a small Edge data center, dubbed a "digital boiler," began assisting a recreational facility in Exmouth, Devon, in meeting its swimming pool heating energy needs.
- As internet usage surges, cloud services expand, fintech startups proliferate, and e-commerce grows, the importance of data storage becomes paramount, driving up the demand for hyperscale data centers. These data centers, operated by tech giants, consume significant water resources. For instance, Google secured a contract ensuring a daily supply of 1 million gallons for cooling one of its data centers. Their expansive size allows them to incorporate additional cooling capacities to manage temperature fluctuations. Moreover, as the adoption of cloud storage continues to rise, the need for liquid cooling systems in data centers is expected to grow. Companies like Google and Microsoft are boosting their storage capacities domestically and streamlining cloud workflows, further amplifying the demand for liquid cooling solutions.
