EUROPE to autonomous data centres , but to get there you need to really measure and model data centres correctly . You need to have a data collection software tool chain and database and you need to have all the tools in place for the sensors . The project is about trying to understand how to make the data centre autonomous and how to optimise the holistic view on automation – it ’ s a very big project with Ericsson and ABB involved . “ We have one project about how to use natural convection and draught in data centres so you can reduce the fan use . It ’ s a real thermodynamic project ,” continues Minde . “ The third project is to look into how a data centre can be a part of the smart grid in the future . A data centre has lots of battery , it has a water tank for cooling and it has an intrinsic possibility to be a big battery . It can then be a load balancer in the grid . “ The fourth project is really about

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using analytics in new applications , so that it ’ s beyond big data at an analytics level ,” Minde explains . “ We have some pre-studies on heat reuse and liquid cooling and we hope to expand them . We ’ re looking into drying wood and also liquid cooling . So that is what the data centre is used for – different types of projects to understand how you can create better data centres in the future .”

The first module of the data centre , a room-inroom module , has been running since February 2016 . “ This first module is used for big data analytics , it ’ s used for some cloud applications and that is running in the servers . We have 200 servers there , some GPU [ graphics processing unit ] accelerated ,” Minde advises . “ Then we use the data centre to do modelling .”

“ The second module is more a lab and we have built it so we can do a slab floor or a raised floor . We can change equipment easily with much bigger doors and we can move equipment in and out . We can

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