HP Butterfly Datacentre design

HP has joined the growing crowd of companies offering modular data centre systems, introducing the HP Flexible Data Centre, which features factory-built modules that support quick deployment and phased growth of enterprise data centre infrastructure. HP says the new approach will be faster and cheaper than new ground-up “Greenfield” construction.

The HP Flexible DC features a “butterfly” design with a centre core module for networking and security, surrounded by four server rooms (IT modules). Cooling equipment attaches to the rear of each data centre module, while generators and power conditioning units are housed next to the facility. Each IT module supports 800 kilowatts of IT load, providing a total capacity of 3.2 megawatts for a four-module butterfly configuration.

A Compelling Alternative to Greenfields
The “flex” reflects the range of customer options, which includes the choice of four different cooling technologies and five different UPS configurations, featuring both flywheel and battery-based UPS’. HP Flexible DC is optimised for a chiller-less air cooling design, using a slab (rather than a raised floor) and hot-aisle containment to isolate the hot and cold air within the server area.

HP says its most energy-optimised design can result in a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.18, comparable to the lowest efficiency ratings seen at the largest facilities.

Targeting Savings in Energy, Construction

HP said the modular approach allowed companies to consolidate data centres while segregating IT assets by group, security level, or workloads (such as software development, production, or disaster recovery) which might require different types of access control or reliability.