Intelligent CIO North America Issue 45 | Page 66

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centers

DC BLOX expands Birmingham Data Centerto empower High- Performance Computing

New center employs innovative mixed-hall design that streamlines future adaptability . concurrently maintainable Tier III design of our standard data halls . The data hall can house up to 240 standard retail cabinets and 36 HPC-capable cabinets , each supporting up to 35kW of power .

DC BLOX has completed the expansion of its Birmingham , Alabama data center – a new data hall design , tailored to meet the burgeoning demand for High-Performance Compute ( HPC ) applications .

Completion marks a significant milestone in DC BLOX ’ s commitment to foster technological growth and innovation in Birmingham and the surrounding region .
The innovative mixed-hall design not only streamlines the allocation of floor space and power between high-density and standard cabinets but also sets the stage for adaptable configurations catering to specific regional requirements across the company ’ s data centers .
By accommodating both high-density cabinets and standard cabinets within the same space , the new design enables researchers to deploy GPU clusters near traditional retail racks , both for convenience and for shorter cabling for data transfer .
The state-of-the-art infrastructure provides the ability to support up to 2.4MW of 3N / 2 distributed redundant power , aligning with the
The expansion responds to the surging demand for HPC applications driven by several factors , including the availability of cost-effective HPC systems based on commodity hardware , specialized processor accelerators such as GPUs , and the escalating utilization of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning ( AI / ML ) applications .
HPC technology is vital for a wide range of industries , including government , universities , manufacturing and bio-sciences , yet is often inaccessible due to the lack of data center infrastructure to support its power and connectivity requirements .
Birmingham ’ s recent recognition as a federal tech hub by the US Economic Development Administration is derived from their transformation into a center for technological excellence .
This designation not only recognizes Birmingham ’ s dedication to innovation but also its commitment to emerging technology areas , notably artificial intelligence and biotechnology .
DC BLOX ’ s HPC-capable facility and its interconnected network enable customers like the University of Alabama System ( UAB ) to process , store and transmit timely data to research facilities across the country .
“ This expansion underscores DC BLOX ’ s steadfast dedication to empowering the technology-based economy of Birmingham and beyond ,” said Jeff Uphues , CEO , DC BLOX .
Ralph Zottola , AVP for UAB Research Computing , said : “ DC BLOX Birmingham is a key partner for our strategy at UAB IT – Research Computing . “ The facility , operations and staff enable us to design and deploy cutting edge cyberinfrastructure in support of worldclass research .”
DC BLOX ’ s Birmingham data center originally opened its doors in July 2019 , unveiling 13,000 square feet of office space and 18,000 square feet of data center space . With 50 + MW of additional future power available and plans for multiple hyperscale and / or build-tosuit data centers , this campus is pitched as poised to become the heart of connectivity and compute infrastructure in Alabama . p
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