[Report] Visiting Samsung SDS Dongtan Data Center Dedicated to 'High-Performance Computing'

High Power Efficiency Even in High-Performance Tasks
Data Center Facility Expansion Planned for This Year

After driving about an hour by car from Samsung SDS Jamsil Campus, we arrived at the Dongtan Data Center. It is Korea's first high-performance computing dedicated data center, handling complex computational tasks such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis using large-scale graphics processing unit (GPU) servers. Samsung SDS invested 206.7 billion KRW to open the data center around Dongtan 2 New Town at the end of last year. The data center is directly connected to the Gyeongbu Expressway, and nearby new towns are populated with IT companies and venture firms like in Pangyo, making accessibility very convenient.

The data center is a massive apartment complex where servers are gathered. It is a physical space that processes tasks such as internet banking and logistics management and handles data. Even a brief power outage would paralyze its functions, so in addition to servers, computer equipment, and communication devices, it must be equipped with backup power supply units, cooling facilities, and fire protection systems. The Dongtan Data Center houses all these in a building with one basement floor and five above-ground floors.

We headed to the substation and generator room, which serve as the 'heart' of the data center. The substation receives 22,900 volts (V) of electricity from Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and steps it down to 6,600 V, which is generally usable, then supplies it to each server room. Right next to the main electrical room, there was a twin electrical room that was an exact replica. All equipment is duplicated to prepare for any power supply interruption from KEPCO.

Samsung SDS Dongtan Data Center
Photo by Samsung SDS

If even this fails, the generators activate. Upon entering the generator room, four uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) the size of small vans caught the eye. If power is cut, the UPS engines start within 60 seconds to generate electricity. They can operate for about 12 hours.

As important as power supply is temperature control. Servers run on electricity 24/7 and generate a lot of heat, and even slight temperature changes can sensitively affect server performance. The cooling room, located underground, is responsible for maintaining temperature. Large pipes that draw in outside air were installed in the cooling room. During winter or transitional seasons like now, the cooling system does not operate, and outside air is used instead. When the outside temperature rises, cold water is used instead of external air.

Obo Young, a professional from Samsung SDS Cloud Service Division's Data Center Innovation Team, explained, "Because this is a high-performance computing dedicated data center, it uses more electricity and generates more heat than others. We focused on improving the efficiency of the cooling facilities to cool it down."

Going up to the second floor, the core server room of the data center appeared. It is a controlled area because it houses servers for clients such as financial institutions and public organizations. Looking from outside the door, servers were neatly stacked like apartments inside black racks, with lights blinking, indicating they were powered on. Cold air was being blown from the walls of the server room. The internal system sends hot air generated by the servers to the ceiling and cool air from the walls to cool the servers. This prevents mixing of cold and hot air, enhancing cooling efficiency.

This enabled the power usage effectiveness (PUE) to be lowered to 1.1. PUE is an indicator of how efficiently a data center uses energy. The closer to 1.0, the more efficiently power is used. A PUE of 1.1 is the lowest among the five data centers operated by Samsung SDS.

Right next to the server room is the battery room. It contains emergency equipment that supplies power for a certain period in case of a power outage. It uses fourth-generation lithium-ion batteries, and the modules include fire prevention devices. If a fire occurs in the battery, it has a function to extinguish itself. Like the electrical room, the battery room also has a twin structure.

Gu Hyung-jun, Vice President of Samsung SDS Cloud Division, said, "It was basically designed to support high performance while saving power. (The cloud transition of companies) is progressing faster than expected, so we plan to expand data center facilities this year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.