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At the "Data Cloud Conference" in Cannes, Rittal, a manufacturer of enclosures, power distribution and climate control systems from Herborn in Hesse, was presented with the "Data Centre Team Excellence Award 2024". The award particularly recognizes the achievements of the Rittal team at the "Lefdal Mine Datacenter" (LMD) in Norway. These include consulting and the holistic approach of the RiMatrix platform in containers, as well as a cooling solution with fjord water. This covers all pillars of the data center infrastructure – modular, standardized and scalable.

One of the most secure, flexible and energy-efficient data centers in Europe

The LMD, which is operated in a former mine, is one of the most secure, flexible and energy-efficient data centers in Europe. Norway has a large local surplus of low-cost renewable energy. Cold fjord water is used for cooling. The result is high energy efficiency with a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of less than 1.1. The data center offers low project and operating costs, natural EMP security, high scalability and flexibility. Rittal plays a critical role in the implementation and operation of this advanced data center. The Data Center Team Excellence Award 2024 recognizes projects that, according to the jury's criteria, "have had a significant impact on the data center and cloud services sector in the past 18 months."

Comprehensive IT infrastructure management

Rittal has designed standardized and containerized data center solutions based on the RiMatrix portfolio for LMD, which ensure high flexibility and cost efficiency. The preconfigured modules are installed in containers on a turnkey basis and have up to ten racks. They are equipped with power distribution and climate control technology, as well as monitoring software for comprehensive IT infrastructure management. This enables the rapid, scalable use of IT systems – from co-location and private clouds to ITaaS (IT as a Service) and DCaaS (Data Center as a Service).

Energy-efficient cooling

In addition, the Rittal team has introduced a climate control solution with the Liquid Cooling Package (LCP) range. The LCP conducts the warm air from the servers through a special heat exchanger that is connected to the fjord's cold water circuit at seven degrees Celsius. This efficiently cools the warm air to the desired inlet temperature of 15 degrees Celsius before it is reintroduced into the system. This process results in the aforementioned PUE of less than 1.1. The low power consumption is not only economical, but also climate-friendly, as 97 percent of it comes from renewable sources. Anna Klaft, Vice President Business Unit IT Solutions at Rittal and member of the Board of Directors of the Ledfal Mine, explains: "This award from a renowned jury is a great honor for us. I am very happy for our team, because the fact that it was presented as a team award shows how, on the one hand, expertise and a clear view of the needs of users, and on the other hand, the flexibility of standardized modules complement each other and play to their strengths for the customer."

Megawatt cooling with water

At the Data Cloud Conference, Rittal also provided a glimpse of the next technological innovation: single-phase direct liquid cooling with water as an indispensable enabler for AI applications. This is because the power density required for this pushes air cooling in the rack to its limits. In close collaboration with several hyperscalers and server OEMs, Rittal has developed a new coolant distribution unit (CDU) that delivers over a megawatt of cooling power. It fits compactly into a bayable OCP rack and, thanks to its modular design, is easy to maintain during operation.

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