How Polar & Vertiv Plan to Make Data Centres Sustainable
Leading data centre provider Polar DC has partnered with Vertiv, a company renowned for critical digital infrastructure, to spearhead a more sustainable future with their first AI-ready data centre in Norway.
This collaboration is a testament to the shift towards greener and more efficient technological infrastructures in the data centre industry.
The fully prefabricated modular solution provided by Vertiv is tailored to boost Polar's pace of innovation and resilience while ensuring that sustainability is at the core of its operations.
The data centre will be entirely powered by hydroelectric energy, marking a significant step in reducing its carbon footprint.
This energy source is not only renewable but is also ideal for managing high-density, liquid-cooled environments that can demand up to 120 kW per rack.
The infrastructure is designed with N+1 redundancy, covering both electrical and thermal systems, which is crucial for supporting AI and accelerated computing operations.
This is critical as these operations tend to have high energy demands and require robust systems to ensure reliability and efficiency.
Energy efficiency and scalability
Polar DC's overarching mission is to establish an industry-leading and environmentally responsible infrastructure platform that clients can rely on to foster the development of AI technologies.
As AI applications are increasingly resource-intensive, the need for scalable, energy-efficient infrastructure becomes paramount.
Vertiv’s preconfigured power and cooling solutions are well-suited to meet these demands, thereby supporting Polar’s sustainability objectives.
The infrastructure provided by Vertiv will facilitate high-performance computing environments with operational agility, aligning with Polar’s long-term sustainability goals.
The partnership involves designing, manufacturing, delivering, installing, and commissioning a fully scalable, AI-ready prefabricated modular solution capable of supporting a 12 MW IT load, with potential expansion up to 50 MW.
“This collaboration showcases the strength of Vertiv’s modular approach, providing Polar with a high-density, AI-ready infrastructure that combines rapid deployment with outstanding energy efficiency,” says Viktor Petik, Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Solutions at Vertiv.
“By leveraging factory-assembled infrastructure, we overcome traditional on-site challenges and deliver a solution tailored to Polar’s evolving requirements.”
Innovations in power and cooling technologies
Incorporated within this solution is the Vertiv EXL S1, an efficient grid-interactive uninterruptible power supply (UPS) designed to manage the critical power loads demanded by AI and other high-performance computing applications.
Additionally, the Liebert AFC chiller from Vertiv is included to significantly cut carbon emissions and reduce annual energy consumption by up to 20% compared to traditional systems.
The initial phase of the project is anticipated to be operational by the second half of 2025, with expansion plans already in place. This facility in Norway marks the first in Polar’s array of ambitious ventures aiming to set new standards for AI-ready data centres across Europe.
“We are excited to partner with Vertiv on this innovative project, which allows us to scale quickly and efficiently while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability,” shares Andy Hayes, CEO at Polar.
“The flexibility of Vertiv's solution enables us to easily expand to meet market demand, and helps us to support our clients with cutting-edge AI and HPC capabilities.”
Scaling sustainable data centre solutions
Vertiv is actively expanding its global data centre capabilities to support sustainable and future-proof innovations.
The introduction of new product offerings by Vertiv aims to enhance infrastructure management, enable modular deployment, improve thermal management, and optimise data centre power distribution.
As the demand for AI infrastructure grows, facilities are increasingly confronted with capacity constraints and environmental challenges.
By providing solutions that cater to the high power and energy needs of AI, Vertiv is positioning itself to gain a competitive edge in the evolving data centre landscape.
The innovations brought forth by Vertiv align with the growing demand for sustainable AI infrastructure, representing a promising direction for the industry as a whole.
As AI continues to transform industries, the need for sustainable, scalable, and energy-efficient infrastructure solutions will only grow more critical.
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