A tour of the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed
What is the STDCT about and why it matters.
Have you heard of Singapore's Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT)? Here's what they are testing and why it matters.
Singapore has one of the highest densities of data centres in the world. Instead of joining a race it can't win, it wants to be at the forefront of sustainable data centres.
- The STDCT is the world's first tropical climate data centre test bed.
- It is one such initiative to help Singapore develop the know-how for more sustainable data centres.
I was on a family holiday during its launch; PS Lee kindly took me on a private tour in July.
Left to right: Racks; immersion cooling with Dell servers; manifolds for direct-to-chip cooling.
The STDCT
The testbed was launched on 29 Nov 2023 with a grant from the National Research Foundation.
- Open, neutral, and live testbed of 0.5MW.
- Enables the de-risking of innovative technologies.
- Collaborative platform for data centre stakeholders.
Located on the NUS campus, the standalone data centre is compact at 770 sqm. Its sole data hall is segregated into liquid- and air-cooled sections.
What is being tested
A total of 5 research work packages are currently being tested, namely:
- Cognitive digital twin.
- Pre-drying of outdoor air.
- Unibody direct-to-chip heat sink.
- Assessment of running at higher temps.
- Unibody heat sink for immersion cooling.
Target outcomes?
To save up to 40% of water, up to 40% of energy, and achieve a PUE of < 1.2 using a combination of air and liquid cooling.
A visual walk-through
Left to Right: Supply lines to the racks; a standalone cooling distribution unit (CDU); more valves required for liquid cooling.
Left to Right: StatePoint Liquid Cooling system; membrane exchanger; intake damper and filters.
StatePoint Liquid Cooling system
The StatePoint Liquid Cooling System (SPLC) is an advanced evaporative cooling system invented by Meta and Nortek.
It uses a liquid-to-air energy exchanger, with water cooled as it evaporates through a membrane separation layer to produce cold water.
Note: The membrane doesn't last forever, though I don't know how frequently it must be changed.
It operates in 1 of 3 modes:
- Economiser mode.
- Adiabatic mode.
- Super-evaporative mode.
It is extremely energy and water efficient, allowing Meta to maintain a fleet-wide PUE of 1.10. It is also used in Meta's massive 150MW data centre at Tanjong Kling in Singapore.
Prof Lee told me they are installing the components needed for a high-efficiency desiccant. This will be used to pre-dry outdoor air before it goes to the SPLC for better efficiency.
