A data center for the highest demands

Hhere you can almost hear the grass sprouting, and yet here is one of the most modern data centers. The shape of the building itself creates a hermetic impression on visitors who might once be rolling off the A3 motorway, a link from the Fricktal to the A1. However, Green Datacenter AG operates state-of-the-art facilities in Zurich, a center in Zurich North and the multiple award-winning datacenter called ZurichWest 1 + 2 in Lupfig, Aargau.

This data centre - just 25 minutes from Basel and Zurich - is in a protected location, yet ideally situated to be accessible to specialists and customers who rely on redundant data storage and continuous IT processes. As Adrian Meyer, technical director of Green Datacenter AG, explained to the organiser, they chose this location because it is far away from potential sources of danger and yet at a power and fibre optic node. It is an ideal location for dealing with the growing volume of data and its sustainable management in the future.

Green Datacenter AG provides a wide range of data center services for medium and large companies in Switzerland, Europe and worldwide. Every 18 months or so, the amount of data that can be stored on a typical hard disk drive doubles. Many data centers are therefore focusing on flexible cloud solutions or rentable servers in addition to physical storage space. This is exactly what the data center operator Green.

To what extent does a provider such as Green, founded in 1995, efficiently and sustainably promote the development capability of a company without restricting IT security?

Setting new standards

About five years ago, Green established a data centre on an unused meadow in Lupfig, which is intended to set new standards in terms of energy efficiency. "Green Datacenter AG is not only green in name, the company submits to the strictest criteria in terms of security and energy management," reads the service provider's mission statement.

The overall Lupfig project - three independent data centers plus an office building - was estimated at an investment volume of 170 million Swiss francs. The data center provider has already spent 120 million, and all but the last data center module has been completed. The advantage of the staged construction method is obvious: the range of secure data bunkers is constantly being adapted to the needs of the economy. In addition, each of the modules constructed has its own technical equipment, which ensures independent operation in each module. The building unit consists of three data centers - Zurich West 1, Zurich West 2 and Zurich West 3. Zurich West 1 and 2 have been in operation since March 2011 and October 2014 respectively, while Zurich West 3 has been granted a building permit. "This means we can consistently expand our capacities," says Susanne Felice-Tanner, media spokesperson at Green.

The gross floor area of all the data centre modules will be 26,240 m2 , with the actual usable area for data storage being 11,231 m2 square metres. This corresponds to approximately 4800 IT cabinets for housing the individual servers.

Looking at the data center from the outside, one sees nothing more than a ground-level monolith next to a narrower industrial street. However, Zurich West 1 + 2 are dominated by modular, independent sectors and facilities. The purpose of this center is to ensure maximum data availability at all times.

Ensure availability

Ensuring the availability of the data stored here is Green's top priority. To this end, the power supply, the connection to the data network and the cooling must function without interruption. Emergency scenarios such as power failures or interruptions in the fiber optic supply are also included in the planning of a data center.

The Zurich West data center is leading the way here. Module 1 has the renowned certification according to the TIER III standard (see info box on page 17) of the Uptime Institute, Module 2 was even built according to the next higher TIER IV standard three years later. For this purpose, technical components must also be prepared for emergencies, i.e. they must be available in multiple locations, for example. At Green, the connection to the data network is made via redundant supply lines, which are even routed separately within the data center. All other technical equipment for the power supply, emergency power supply or cooling is also available several times in each module.

"Two medium-voltage feeds of 16,000 kilovolts each are used to supply power to the data center. They come from two different substations. Of course, the lines run separately from each other into the in-house power system," explains Adrian Meyer, technical manager.

If the mains supply fails, four diesel generators with a total output of 8 MW start up in Module A. The diesel generators are then powered up within 40 seconds and can take over the entire supply to the data center. Within 40 seconds, they are up and running and can take over the entire supply of the data center. But what happens in the seconds between the power failure and the operational readiness of the diesel generators? For this short period of time, the UPS system with lead-acid batteries takes over the supply. They can take over the entire load within no more than 1 ms. With a diesel reserve of 95,000 litres per module, "we can continue to operate the data centre in isolated mode for around seven days," emphasises the technical manager during a tour of the data centre.

The Center is operated in accordance with ISO 27001:2013, the comprehensive standard for information security. This standard provides a systematic and structured approach to securing and protecting important data. Here, the availability of the IT systems has top priority.

Energy efficiency is mandatory

The management of Green Datacenter AG proves: Not only investments in technology are evident, but also the consistent further development of individual procedures and processes "as well as the adaptation to new guidelines", Susanne FeliceTanner underlines the best possible structural and strategic orientations for Zurich West 1 + 2.

In a comparison of total energy expenditure to the expenditure of the IT infrastructure, the data center has an optimal PUE value of 1.4 in Zurich West 1. In Zurich West 2, the efficiency value was improved even further to 1.19. To achieve this, the latest cooling systems were used, which store the necessary cooling liquid for even longer thanks to large 100,000-litre storage tanks.

Zurich West 1 was considered one of the most efficient data centers in Switzerland at an early stage, which is why it was awarded the Prix Watt d'Or by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) in 2013. The award was given for the overall concept, the individual optimisation measures and the innovative direct current distribution system.

Safety is paramount

Although the geographical location is ideally suited to a center of this dimension in terms of force majeure risks such as earthquakes or floods, the building was constructed in the highest possible construction class III. Green Datacenter AG is also committed to meeting the highest physical security requirements. It goes without saying that, in addition to burglary protection, multiple access protection for each individual perimeter was also planned for security in the center.

These include separate security zones, camera systems with video recording, electronic access control using three procedures, a separation system, separate goods locks and other biometric instruments that prevent uncontrolled access. The customer zones are, of course, protected from the general zones, anonymously hidden behind doors or privacy screens.

In the area of fire protection, the data centre has an early fire detection system, a smoke detection system with automatic alarm and a fully automatic nitrogen extinguishing system (dry extinguishing).

"One aspect we took from American submarine engineers." Adrian Meyer points to red cabinets, distinguished only by naval insignia. "Should a

damage occurs, the individual areas must continue to function. In the submarine cabinets, which are located in all rooms and corridors, our technicians find appropriate spare parts and tools to repair the damage ad hoc from a decentralized warehouse."

Relevant customers of the data center can also use specifically equipped emergency workstations if required. These are located in the adjacent office building to ensure seamless business continuity.

A data center for direct current

"Every year, almost six million new servers come online and the energy demand of data centers increases by more than ten percent per year," says a communiqué from green.ch. In order not to be out-booted by the advancing digital revolution, it is an absolute must for every data center to develop reliable, efficient solutions.

Together with ABB Ltd, Green Datacenter AG installed a DC distribution solution (with a capacity of 1 megawatt in module 1). An innovative system was developed that reduces power conversion losses, increases reliability and at the same time reduces the space required for equipment.

Adrian Meyer, the technical manager, emphasizes: "Performance tests have shown that this new energy distribution system from Green is twenty percent more efficient than comparable alternating current (AC) systems. In addition, the investment costs are 15 percent lower than for a conventional AC solution."

Now it is up to the Green, data center specialists to inform potential customers about the advantages of this energy-efficient solution. New servers that have a DC connection have already been available for three years.