Vertiv has introduced the TimberMod variant of its Vertiv Power Module and SmartMod families, featuring mass timber as a key structural component instead of steel for prefabricated modular (PFM) data centre solutions.
Available in North America and in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the new units are built from a more environmentally friendly material that can minimise resource depletion and lower CO2 emissions.
Mass timber, if sourced from sustainably harvested wood, serves as a renewable construction material with the potential to minimise resource depletion and lower carbon footprint by up to three-times compared to steel based on the reduction of CO2 emissions associated with the cradle-to-gate product lifecycle and the transport of materials and structural elements to the assembly site.
Vertiv TimberMod meets applicable building structural requirements, providing robust performance in the face of seismic activity, wind forces, and structural demands. Beyond its structural integrity, this innovative solution adds an aesthetic dimension to data centre architecture, seamlessly blending into diverse environments with an elegant design.
“We are dedicated to finding innovative solutions that can help reduce data centre carbon footprints through the use of environmentally-friendly construction materials and processes,” says Viktor Petik, vice-president and EMEA leader for Vertiv’s Integrated Modular Solutions business. “By incorporating materials from renewable sources, Vertiv TimberMod not only provides a more eco-friendly option but does so without compromising on performance, thus creating a positive impact on both the environment and our customers’ operational efficiency.”
Vlad Galabov, director for cloud and data centre at Omdia, comments: “Although timber data centres are not new, they have become much more accessible now that a major prefabricated modular data centre vendor offers data centre building blocks or an entire data centre built with timber, with the engineering assurance that it will remain reliable.”