Data Centre Engineering Capstone Design
A team design of a complete 48 MW data centre campus, from brief, site selection and permits through load definition, electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, fire protection, network, controls and operations concepts to a cost estimate, schedule, risk register, sustainability assessment and final presentation.
DCE-499 Year 4 3 credits 12 lessons · 4 h 48 min
Offered by HSM University · Data Centre Engineering
This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.
What you'll learn
- Interpret a client brief, organize a multidisciplinary design team, and prepare a basis of design with requirements traceability and phasing
- Select a data centre site through fatal-flaw screening, weighted scoring with sensitivity analysis, and due diligence
- Plan zoning, building, air, water, noise and environmental approvals and engage the community
- Define IT capacity, rack densities, the air-liquid split and AI load dynamics, and model PUE, WUE and energy
- Develop an electrical concept from utility interconnection to rack, comparing redundancy topologies with reliability analysis
- Develop a mechanical concept for air and liquid cooling, with economizer analysis, redundancy and plant sizing
- Develop site, building, structural and security layouts, including floor loading and seismic performance
- Develop fire protection and life safety, including compartmentation, detection, suppression and lithium-ion battery hazards
- Develop network and cabling infrastructure, including meet-me rooms, pathways and AI backend fabrics
- Specify monitoring, controls, OT and physical security, commissioning levels and operations readiness
- Prepare a probabilistic cost estimate, critical path schedule, risk register and life cycle comparison
- Assess operational and embodied carbon, water and heat reuse, conduct design reviews and present the design
Course content
12 lessons · 4 h 48 min total · final exam
- 1 The capstone brief, team and design process 24 min · quiz
- 2 Site selection and due diligence 25 min · quiz
- 3 Permits, approvals, environment and community 24 min · quiz
- 4 Defining the load: IT capacity, densities and the energy model 24 min · quiz
- 5 Electrical concept: from utility to rack 24 min · quiz
- 6 Mechanical concept: cooling air and liquid loads 24 min · quiz
- 7 Civil, structural and architectural concept 24 min · quiz
- 8 Fire protection and life safety concept 22 min · quiz
- 9 Network and cabling concept 24 min · quiz
- 10 Controls, security, commissioning and operations readiness 25 min · quiz
- 11 Cost estimate, schedule and risk 24 min · quiz
- 12 Sustainability, design review and the final presentation 24 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
- DCE-410 Site Selection, Permitting and Municipal Approvals
- DCE-450 Commissioning, Reliability and Operations
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
A team design of a complete 48 MW data centre campus, from brief, site selection and permits through load definition, electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, fire protection, network, controls and operations concepts to a cost estimate, schedule, risk register, sustainability assessment and final presentation.
Part of the Engineering stream, typically taken in year 4.