Optimizing component integration in modular data centres

数据中心是支撑我们数字生活的关键信息技术（IT）服务背后的物理基础设施。因此，他们构成了21世纪社会不可或缺的一部分。建立这些大型基础设施的最先进的过程是一项冗长乏味的手工工作，导致固有的设计效率低下，从而导致最终用户不必要的高资本和运营成本。我们的行业合作伙伴Cinnos Mission Critical Incorporated推出了一个创新的产品系列，称为SmartMission Critical X (SMC-XTM)，这是工厂制造的机柜，用于容纳IT设备，包含运行它们所需的所有支持设备。然而，由于缺乏严格的科学设计方法来理解大量组件选择，布局和互连的性能影响，SMC-XTM还无法与用于大批量应用的定制dc的能源效率和成本竞争。由于其模块化特性导致的复杂的组件间耦合和输入条件的离散变化，开发严格的方法是非平凡的。为了克服这些挑战，我们将开发和验证一种新的设计优化方法，以将下一代smc - x转变为全球价值1000亿美元以上的直流行业中具有全球竞争力的产品线。我们提出的建模和优化方法的新组合是相当普遍的。它可以扩展到设计其他组件之间具有强多物理场耦合的模块化系统，例如开关设备和计算机硬件。该项目将开发所需的技术和工具，将这一概念转化为具有全球竞争力的产品线，以迎合价值1000亿美元以上的直流行业。其结果有望为加拿大带来可观的商业收入，创造2000多个制造/装配工作岗位，以及大量的能源节约。

Data Centres (DCs) are the physical infrastructure behind critical information technology (IT) services thatsupport our digital lives. Thus, they form an indispensable part of 21st century society. The state-of-the-artprocess of establishing these massive infrastructure is a tedious and lengthy manual exercise leading to inherentdesign inefficiencies resulting in unnecessarily high capital and operating costs for end-users. Our industrypartner Cinnos Mission Critical Incorporated has introduced an innovative family of products, called the SmartMission Critical X (SMC-XTM), which are factory-built cabinets to house IT equipment, containing all thesupporting equipment required to run them. However, due to lack of rigorous scientific design methodologiesto understand the performance implications of the overwhelming number of choices of component selection,layout, and inter-connections, SMC-XTM cannot yet compete with the energy efficiency and costs ofcustom-built DCs used for large volume applications. Developing a rigorous methodology is non-trivial due tothe complex inter-component coupling and discrete variations in input conditions that arise from its modularnature. To overcome these challenges, we will develop and validate a novel design optimization methodologyto transform the next generation of SMC-Xs into a globally competitive product line in the worldwide $100B+DC industry. The proposed novel combination of our modelling and optimization approaches is quite general.It can be extended to design other modular systems with strong multiphysics coupling between components, forinstance, in switchgears and computer hardware. This project will develop the technology and tools required totransform this concept into a globally competitive product line catering to the $100B+ DC industry. The resultspromise considerable commercial revenues to Canada, the creation of 2,000+ manufacturing/assembly jobs, aswell as a substantial amount of energy savings.