Lean Construction Ireland Annual Book of Cases 2021 40 existing sites and the ability to quickly bring new data centres online. Working with both colocation and hyperscale builders, Jacobs could see where gaps and opportunities were in the two design-delivery models, and we understood the drivers behind both. Hyperscale data centre operators are always building, and when they’re not building – or can’t due to various constraints – they’re also big users of colocation services. Sometimes, that’s driven by risk management decisions as a company enters a new market or geography, or to manage the ever-present risk that demand could flatten or fall.Often, it’s because permitting, securing permission for, and building new facilities can be challenging. Working with our clients, we could see that hyperscalers need a more bespoke solution to help give them flexibility to navigate these challenges more nimbly.We could see an opportunity in how the colo business operates that may benefit the larger clients.Using tools such as A3Thinking, Root CauseAnalysis and 5-Whys, Jacobs’ solution began to take form and the concept of ‘cloud condos’ (condominiums) emerged as a strategy to provide fast, efficient options to data centre providers and customers. Figure 3. Enabling Clients with Bespoke Solutions The condominium concept brings together the best of both hyperscale and colocation data centre design, refining it into a plug and play approach that provides both flexibility and scalability whilst accelerating speed to market and providing greater alignment with sustainability goals. This framework offers colocation developers the flexibility to scaleup with minimal investment and faster time to market and revenue generation. For hyperscale customers, it provides greater efficiency with the ability to scale individual costs in alignment with deployable megawatts. Jacobs cloud condos are designed to provide computing space in discreet 5MW server hall modules as part of a larger data centre building with varying degrees of shared services between different occupants.The intent is to afford companies who require larger computing capacity beyond the traditional colocation caged areas the opportunity to secure separated private server hall spaces in 5MW increments.The Cloud Condo facility masterplan allows up to 30MW per building in an expedited manner and with the flexibility to allow for a degree of bespoke configuration options to suit each individual user.Unlike standard colocation, clients won’t be forced to use only standard offerings with limited opportunities for modification. In other words, while colo is like renting a room in a shared house, re-thinking the problem using a structured approach enabled Jacobs to think differently – a Cloud Condo is like renting or owning an entire spacious apartment, complete with your own front door. This concept appeals to both providers and hyperscalers. The Jacobs solution is intended not just for colo users with (much) bigger needs, but to enable data centre operators to build out campuses in 30MW blocks in a form that makes them faster to design and build than conventional data centres.The finished building can come in the form of a self-performed client fit-out or a fullservice turnkey deployment for IT, electrical, mechanical, security, network operations, administration, and more. The modular design approach enables larger colo providers and their customers to cost-effectively consolidate their colocation contracts in a form that better suits their security, management, and sustainability goals, as well as other needs, and helps everyone balance risk better in a rapidly-changing world. Need for Speed Like many industries, the Cloud industry is driven by speed tomarket and the ability to provide capacity. Jacobs estimates that the Cloud Condos will enable design-to-online availability up to 40 percent faster than conventional data centres’ project delivery timelines. LeveragingAdjacent Industries Many buildings, such as hotels, apartment buildings, and schools are built with pre-fab off-the-shelf designs.These building types have repetitive design elements which helps to cut costs and expedite the design process. Jacobs modular design is intended to be highly configurable, depending on the geography, market, and particular customer needs. Cloud Condos is designed as a repeating structural grid that allows for flexibility and evolution over time. Depending on the site, the solution can be single-storey or stacked, and it can be concrete or steel.The modular design is future-proofed by enabling future changes to the mechanical-electrical equipment sets without affecting the overall architecture. Today, we’re all dealing with supply chain issues, and the Cloud Condos design enables flexibility in terms of vendors.The equipment that goes into each server hall is determined by the end-user and the model can be adapted to any geography or climate. As we all strive for a carbon-zero future, the Cloud Condo configuration will enable clients to easily plug-in hydrogen backup generator or hydrogen fuel cells should the technology shift in that direction.The team are continuously looking for continuous improvement opportunities in this space also and are currently evaluating other renewable energy sources like micro-nuclear. Case 10
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIzMTIxMw==