CHEMISTRY

Black & Veatch and Future Facilities will work together to offer assessments, analysis, and modeling as the financial industry seeks to modernize data center infrastructure

As the digital revolution redefines the definition of infrastructure, data centers are increasingly transitioning to high-performance computing with higher rack density to meet the demand for high-speed, reliable supercomputing. Recognizing this, Black & Veatch and Future Facilities are working together to offer a suite of services including data center assessments, analysis, and upgrades to maximize the efficiency and longevity of existing data center infrastructure.

This collaboration with Future Facilities, a software company specializing in 3D digital twin technology using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), allows Black & Veatch to offer its data center design, modernization, and sustainability expertise to financial institutions, enabling them to make informed, cost-effective decisions as they transition data centers from low- to high-density racks. High-density rack data centers allow for the ultra-speed, data-intensive computing necessary in today’s fast-moving economy.

“From commerce to communication, as the world continues to strengthen its reliance on digitization, it is imperative that any company utilizing data has the right tools in place to chart the best path forward to maximize the lifespan, efficiency, and capabilities of their data centers,” said Robert Schmidt, director of client innovation at Future Facilities. “Through our collaboration with Black & Veatch, we are happy to offer these tools to financial institutions, as they continue to develop their digital transformation strategies.”

Datacenter assessments provide insight into a building system’s performance, identifying potential risks and barriers to efficiency that may be related to aging facility equipment, single points of failure, IT equipment spacing, capacity, and more.

“Future Facilities’ digital twin technologies are optimal for assessing and providing strategies to institutions using data centers for information processing,” said Gary Cudmore, Black & Veatch’s global director of data centers. “With Future Facilities software, Black & Veatch is able to pair our expertise in data center design and assessment with sophisticated CFD analysis and modeling to deliver a comprehensive service to any company looking to optimize their data centers.”

Black & Veatch’s study, Data Center Solutions: Helping Financial Enterprises Maximize Performance, highlights an example of the challenges many existing data center operators face as the needs of their clients outpace facility capacity. Initially, the client considered migrating their IT assets to a colocation provider, as power availability seemed to limit a transition to high-density racks in their on-prem facility. Black & Veatch assessed the client’s data centers and found the potential to extend the existing assets for several more years, delaying the need for migrating to a colocation facility. This kept the company online, bought time for long-term digital planning, and staved off a multi-million-dollar upgrade. Future Facilities’ data center modeling software determined the best operating scenario for optimization of space and assets. Pairing these complimentary services of assessment and modeling will benefit any institution struggling with data center optimization or transition.