Construction of highly efficient datacenter demonstration site in Northern Sweden

After a few months of planning and preparatory works the European consortium broke ground in Northern Sweden and started the construction works for the prototype of one of the world’s most efficient datacenters. The project funded by EU’s innovation and research programme Horizon 2020 kicked off in October 2017. The prototype facility will accommodate 500 kW of IT load and is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.

The first installation of the project, called “Boden Type DC One”, is an experimental lab and demonstration site that combines technologies innovatively. The aim is to test and validate feasibility and usability of a highly energy efficient, environmentally friendly prototype in real operation.

Workload balancing, airflow efficiency and modularity are in focus of consortium members: datacenter engineering specialist H1 Systems, cooling manufacturer EcoCooling, research institutes Fraunhofer IOSB and SICS RISE North as well as datacenter site developers Boden Business Agency. The operational measurement and design optimization of the datacenter will provide templated information and analysis for facilities looking to redeploy the solution in their chosen location.

Northern Sweden’s datacenter hub Boden will be home to the 36 months research project that has a budget of approximately 3 million EUR. Construction works started with groundworks and connection of the utilities. The wooden structured “Boden Type DC One” will be installed by November 2018 and will be populated with IT equipment at the end of the year. For those looking to take part in the research experiment limited colocation space is available.

”It is nice to see yet another facility emerging in our datacenter park. This research project will certainly add great value to datacenter efficiencies in the Nordics and the rest of Europe”, says Nils Lindh, Director of Data Center Development, Boden Business Agency.

”The project gives us a unique opportunity look at how we can optimise the installation, operation and maintenance of our cooling systems by using a mix of analysis and technologies to improve efficiency for the industry”, says Alan Beresford, Managing Director of EcoCooling.

”H1 Systems has 25 years of experience in building high availability, mission critical facilities. This highly ambitious project is a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate our skills and expertise. The scientific results of the two research institutes, the innovations coming from our business partners and the support of the local authorities ensure the successful development of the envisioned Prototype”, says Róbert Varga, project manager at H1 Systems.

More information and updates of the project can be found here: www.bodentypedc.eu

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 768875.