Liquid Cooling Showcase

Berkshire, UK

Services: Project Management Consultancy, Quality Management

MiCiM Delivers Award-winning Liquid Cooling Showcase for Centersquare

 

MiCiM were tapped to consult on and project manage the conversion of unused space at Centersquare’s LHR3 Reading data centre into a showcase for innovative liquid cooling technology. The project won the 2024 Data Center Dynamics Mission Critical Tech Innovation Award shortly after completion.

 

MiCiM had previously worked for Centersquare, a leading data centre and colocation provider serving North America and Europe, as main contractors on a data centre expansion project in Slough. MiCiM oversaw the addition of nearly 4,000 square metres of new data hall space along with the critical infrastructure required to support the additional capacity. It was based on this track record of success with Centersquare that MiCiM were trusted with the liquid cooling showcase build-out at the company’s Reading data centre location.

 

Our role in the project

 

MiCiM were integral to this project from the beginning, consulting on the feasibility and design before construction began in April 2024. Installation and commissioning were fully complete by July 2024.

 

This project posed unique challenges. The team had to collaborate closely with the various immersion cooling equipment suppliers to ensure the showroom’s infrastructure would meet the specific needs of each piece of equipment. For example, increasing the flow rate of chilled water to accommodate one supplier’s tank could not compromise other suppliers’ requirements or the overall chilled water system.

 

A further point of difference to most data centre projects was the need to accommodate the oil-based technology of immersion cooling, with leak detection, anti-slip measures in case of spillages, and safety precautions concerning fire and fumes.

 

As the project was at the heart of the building, special care was taken to minimise disruption to the existing data centre infrastructure and operations. Careful coordination and risk management was also required to ensure equipment compatibility and avoid delays, but thanks to these efforts, the project was completed on schedule.

 

Martin Butcher, MiCiM’s construction executive and project sponsor, said,

 

“We were proud to be part of this innovative project. MiCiM’s involvement from the concept stage, working closely with Centersquare and design consultants, allowed for a seamless installation because buildability and commissionabilty were considerations from the outset. We are looking forward to the next immersive cooling project.”

 

The result

 

The result is a functional technology demonstration and meeting space that serves a strategic client objective: showcasing how Centersquare’s data centres can accommodate liquid cooling technologies. Additionally, the showroom utilized unused space in the data centre to achieve the client’s goal in a more sustainable way.

 

Liquid cooling has a promising future, as it can be deployed to existing data centres and implemented at any scale. MiCiM are excited about the future of this technology and look forward to bringing the expertise the team has developed into new projects.

 

Commenting on the project, Centersquare’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer Jaclyn Mispagel said,

 

“MiCiM did an exemplary job on building this strategically important showcase for us. It is a superb example of how our data centres can flex to support evolving technologies.”

People involved on this project

Adam Matthews

Construction Manager

Martin Butcher

Construction Executive

Jose Fernando Andrade da Costa

Graduate MEP Engineer

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