Data centers are the digital foundation for developing the digital economy and intelligent transformations. In this article, Tina Tsui, Chayora Marketing Director, shares more about how a well-planned data center can provide enterprises with efficient, secure, and reliable data storage and processing services. In her previous 
discussion, she explored accelerating data center deployment through various strategies that can drive enterprise agility and innovation. This article will delve into the end-to-end data center construction process, from design to operation, focusing on the underlying design logic.
Digital Backbone for Intelligent Development
As critical digital economy infrastructure, data centers provide a stable operating environment and powerful computational capabilities for various digital businesses. They facilitate the widespread adoption of cloud computing, enabling enterprises and organizations to access and use computational resources more conveniently. They also support big data analytics and artificial intelligence applications, driving business innovation and intelligent decision-making.
In 2021, a joint directive from the National Development and Reform Commission and the Cyberspace Administration of China emphasized the need for improved data center layout, supply-demand balance, green practices, and interconnected systems as the volume of societal data rapidly grows1. The explosive growth of AI, incredibly generative AI, has dramatically increased the demand for robust data processing and storage capabilities, presenting significant growth prospects and challenges for data centers. According to Grand View Research, the global data center construction market was valued at approximately $213.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to expand to $371.9 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 7.4%2.
Critical Elements of Large-Scale Data Center Construction
Constructing a data center involves comprehensive planning and consideration of multiple factors. Data centers house extensive hardware, network facilities, and software systems that must be correctly designed, installed, and tested. Ensuring compatibility, operational efficiency, and security of these components is crucial.
Given the global pursuit of availability, security, service capability, computational efficiency, and sustainability, data center construction must consider the following five key aspects:
- Scale and Capacity: Data centers must handle large volumes of information, requiring substantial hardware infrastructure for support. Planning buildings, equipment, power supply, cooling, and networks is essential to meet high-density and high-availability demands.
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Chayora Shanghai Data Center Security and Stability: Data centers store critical and confidential data, necessitating high levels of security and stability. Measures must be taken to ensure secure data storage and transmission, protect against physical and cyber threats, and possibly adopt customized security solutions for specific business needs.
- Energy Efficiency and Environmental Requirements: With rising energy costs and environmental awareness, data center construction must consider energy efficiency, green practices, and minimizing environmental impact. Reducing energy consumption, water use, and carbon emissions is increasingly urgent, especially with the growing demand for ultra-large-scale data centers.
- Disaster Recovery and Resilience Planning: Robust disaster recovery strategies and technical deployments are essential to mitigate risks posed by natural disasters, hardware failures, or human errors. Customized plans may be required to address specific business needs.
- Monitoring and Management Systems: Sophisticated systems are necessary to ensure stable operation, timely resolution of issues, and continuous performance optimization of data center equipment.
The “Overall Layout Plan for Digital China Construction,” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in February 2023, calls for systematic optimization of computational infrastructure layouts, promoting synergy between various data centers. Different industries and application scenarios have unique requirements for data centers—for instance, higher security and stability for finance and telecommunications versus greater computational capacity and flexibility for the internet and AI sectors.
Building customized data centers with rational hierarchical layouts and diversified services can better meet various needs. Rational planning provides the foundation and framework for appropriate customization, which involves personalized design and configuration based on specific business requirements.
Challenges Ahead for Large-Scale Data Center Construction
As Moore’s Law impacts AI computing power, with exponential increases in AI workloads and higher chip power, data centers will face more challenges. Chayora will continue exploring advanced data center solutions, providing users with secure, stable, reliable, green data centers. By understanding the key factors and challenges involved, enterprises can navigate the complex landscape of data center construction and achieve sustainable and efficient operations.
Next, we will dive into end-to-end data center construction strategies, from design to operation. Stay tuned for more insights.
Footnotes
- Guidelines on Accelerating the Construction of an Integrated Big Data Center Collaborative Innovation System – Cyberspace Administration of China
- Grand View Research – Data Center Construction Market