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Grundfos has urged UK data centre operators to focus on more efficient cooling systems as demand for new facilities rises. Cooling can account for up to 40 per cent of a data centre's energy use.
The intervention comes as investment in UK data centres increases and the growth of artificial intelligence adds to pressure on electricity supplies. It also follows wider concern about the effect of further data centre expansion on water resources, particularly where operators rely on water-based cooling.
Grundfos said the balance between energy efficiency and water use is becoming a more prominent issue for operators, consultants and contractors involved in data centre design and operation. It identified Power Usage Effectiveness and Water Usage Effectiveness as two measures that should be considered together rather than in isolation.
Improving one metric can worsen the other. A shift to water-based cooling may reduce energy demand and improve power efficiency, but increase water consumption. Cutting water use, by contrast, can raise energy demand and weaken power efficiency.
"Data centres are an essential part of the digital infrastructure we all rely on, but they also have significant energy requirements and, depending on the cooling technology used, can require substantial amounts of water.
Balancing Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) often involves trade-offs. For instance, improving PUE by adopting water-based cooling systems can increase water consumption and affect WUE. On the other hand, reducing water use to improve WUE can increase energy consumption and impact PUE.
That's why it's important to consider both metrics together when designing sustainable and resilient data centres," said Pieter Swart, Head of Specification, Fire & Modular Systems, Grundfos.
Swart said the systems that support data centres should be designed and run as efficiently as possible as capacity grows. He added that much of the technology needed to improve efficiency is already available.
Cooling systems
Grundfos identified pumping equipment as one area of potential savings. Pumps move cooling water through a data centre and often run year-round, so relatively small gains in efficiency can have a significant effect on long-term energy use and operating costs.
Variable-speed pumps and control systems can respond to changing cooling demand, helping operators avoid unnecessary electricity use while maintaining required flow rates. Existing facilities may also offer room for improvement once operators have a clearer picture of real operating conditions.
That process can include reviewing how current pumps and controls perform in service and whether they are providing more flow than the system actually needs. Matching output more closely to demand can lower energy use without affecting resilience, according to Grundfos.
Swart expanded on that point in a separate comment.
"Efficiency isn't simply about choosing an efficient pump. You need to look at how the whole system operates - how much flow is actually required, how demand changes and whether pumps are working harder than they need to.
Matching pump performance more closely to cooling demand can reduce unnecessary energy use while still providing the reliability a data centre needs," Swart said.
Water use
Water management remains another area under scrutiny as data centre cooling needs increase. Depending on the design of the cooling system and local site conditions, reusing water can reduce overall consumption, while waste heat recovery can create an additional use for heat that would otherwise be lost.
The comments reflect a broader shift in the sector, as operators face pressure to manage both costs and environmental impact while facilities grow larger and more energy intensive. Cooling infrastructure has become a central issue because it sits at the intersection of power demand, operating reliability and water consumption.
Although Grundfos sells pumps and water systems, its comments also underscore the extent to which supporting infrastructure is moving higher up the list of priorities in data centre planning. In a market shaped by rapid growth in compute demand, operators are being pushed to examine not only server performance but also the efficiency of the systems that keep those servers within safe operating limits.
Swart said there is no single approach that suits every site and that system design must reflect local operating needs.
"Every facility has different cooling and water requirements, so there isn't one solution that works everywhere. Our role is to work with consultants, contractors and operators to understand what the system needs to deliver and develop the right solution around that.
As data centre capacity continues to grow, efficiency will become increasingly important. When equipment is operating around the clock, even relatively modest improvements can make a meaningful difference to energy use and operating costs," Swart said.