Cadence DataCenter Insight Platform

Key Features of Physics-Based CFD Simulation Software

Cadence DataCenter Insight Platform empowers IT and facilities management teams to collaborate on data center energy efficiency and performance optimization via a web-based portal when the data center is operational. It is part of the Cadence data center digital twin offerings (formerly Future Facilities 6SigmaDCX product line) and consists of two modules. The Asset Twin module, or DataCenter Asset Twin, functions as a searchable archive of all IT assets that can be used to manage power, space, weight, and network port capacity. Customers can upgrade to the Digital Twin module, or DataCenter Digital Twin, and add a powerful physics-based simulation engine that provides the insight and foresight necessary to take control of data center performance.

Platform Overview

DataCenter Insight Platform enables operators to effectively balance the competing considerations of capacity utilization, energy efficiency, and risk of downtime within the data center (Figure 1). DataCenter Asset Twin provides tools to manage IT moves, installs, and decommissions. The software includes customizable, automated reports that offer actionable insights to all data center business units. DataCenter Digital Twin combines a calibrated digital twin model with a powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. Crucial data center insights are accessed via one user-friendly platform to enable teams to collaborate.

Figure 1: The network property sheet for a cabinet displayed within DataCenter Insight Platform

Streamline Power Infrastructure Design and Management

DataCenter Insight Platform’s power management functionality supports the design and management of data center power infrastructure by enabling users to identify power delivery issues and assess the impact of changes or failures on power distribution. The software can be connected to live power monitoring systems to ensure the model’s power usage matches the operational data center.

The software visualizes the power network, making it easier to track and make decisions on IT deployment. The interface contains the power distribution unit (PDU) and remote power panel (RPP) schedule, rack PDU connectivity, and the traffic light assist system to ensure deployments do not breach power limits. These features—particularly the traffic light assist system—help users make decisions on their IT deployment for power availability.

The software also shows which power strips and PDUs a cabinet and its IT equipment are connected to when using the cabinet connectivity view (Figure 2). This feature can display phase, socket type, failure loads, and circuit information to aid in IT planning.

Figure 2: The cabinet connectivity view displays to which power strips and PDUs a cabinet and its IT equipment are connected

Software users can easily examine connected power network routes with expandable and collapsible views. The software includes a range of objects available to use in the power networks, including PDUs/RPPs, cabinets, cages, IT equipment, generators, transfer switches, transformers, busbars, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and utility supplies. The software displays monitored and calculated power data for phase balance, failure overload, and more.

The software automatically tests the power network to identify potential issues, such as breaker threshold breaches, phase imbalance, and non-redundant power connectivity. The power management functionality also enables users to consider what would happen when any individual component of the power system fails, with modes for either single item failure or cascade failures.

Gain Clear Visibility into Data Network Connectivity

The data network functionality provides operators with an intuitive, visual representation of network routes to make it easier to design and manage network assets. Users can build and import data network connections between a variety of network ports, such as patch panels, servers, storage units, switches, firewalls, routers, and enclosures. The software can add multiple networks, such as production or testing, and users can assign port connections to these networks.

The software offers a flow chart representation of all data network connections to and from a selected IT equipment object (Figure 3). Data network connections can be created or edited on the property sheet of the relevant object.

Figure 3: Device connections displayed in a data network flow chart view

The software offers insight into existing and available capacity on each network, including available patching connections inside each cabinet. Plots of the patch panel, port availability, copper, and fiber can be displayed on cabinets or individual IT equipment and can be used to quickly identify available ports on a specific network (Figure 4).

Figure 4: The software’s IT deployment traffic light system shows availability for data network connections

When looking for connectivity to a network switch on a particular network, the software automatically searches through structured cabling to locate available switches on the required network. The data network functionality helps operators improve the capacity planning process with clear visibility into data network connectivity, port availability, patching connections, and capacity bottlenecks.

Finetune Data Center Performance with CFD Analysis

DataCenter Digital Twin uses CFD to simulate airflow and cooling in the data center (Figure 5). Engineers can run what-if scenarios on any element of the data center layout to study the implications of different power, loading, and cooling scenarios. The software can perform transient simulations to demonstrate how the data center will perform over time. For example, the software can predict how the data center will react to IT load variations.

Figure 5: Airflow paths through the raised floor and room, simulated using CFD

The software can simulate modern control systems, including variable frequency drives (VFDs), leader/follower configurations, and group or staged controls using temperature, pressure, humidity, or velocity sensors. The CFD functionality also helps engineers perform various types of failure analysis. For example, the software uses CFD to predict how the data center will react when fans, pumps, chillers, or any part of the power network is switched off. The software’s CFD simulation functionality helps teams discover cooling performance inefficiencies, reduce deployment risk, optimize energy efficiency, and increase capacity utilization. The simulation and reporting functions can be automatically run on a schedule, removing engineering effort to generate actionable insights from the platform.

Conclusion

Cadence DataCenter Insight Platform allows IT and facilities management teams to collaborate on data center energy efficiency and performance optimization by balancing the competing considerations of capacity utilization, energy efficiency, and risk of downtime. The software’s intuitive features streamline the capacity planning process and maximize data center performance. The platform’s power, data network, and CFD functionality empower managers to operate data centers with a performance-aware approach.