Connected to our communities.

Why cooling matters

Almost all the electricity a data centre uses turns into heat. Without cooling, the equipment would overheat and stop working.

Two ways to cool, and the trade-off

• Evaporative cooling works like sweat on your skin. Water evaporates and takes heat with it. It uses less electricity, but the water that evaporates is used up.
• Closed-loop cooling keeps the same water, or air, moving around a sealed system. Very little water is lost, but it can use more electricity, especially on hot days.

Neither method is better in every case. Across our facilities, NEXTDC choose the relevant approach based on the compute workloads and technology being supported, overall balance of water use, energy use and reliability.

What we’re doing at M3

At M3, NEXTDC use a range of several cooling designs, depending on the technology type which is being supported. Therefore, a combination of evaporative and closed loop cooling are technologies employed at this site. Also, there is a minimum of 24 hours of water supply maintained on-site.

Our newest designs also cool chips directly with liquid in sealed loops. The loops are filled once and the liquid circulates for the life of the facility, so no water is lost to evaporation.

How much power data centres use

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) estimates data centres use about 3% of operational electricity in the National Electricity Market, and forecasts this could reach about 13% within a decade. However, it is important to note that forecasts are uncertain.

Who builds and pays for connections

When a site needs more power, the local network business designs, builds and runs the poles, cables and substations. NEXTDC funds the connection works and network upgrades required to connect our data centres to the electricity grid.

Victoria's new rules require new data centres to cover connection costs and network upgrades, and to bring their own renewable generation and storage.

Power works near our sites

Network works are planned, built and run by the electricity distributor. In Melbourne's west at M3 Melbourne for example, that's Jemena. For routes, timing, pole locations and contacts, see Jemena's information. We work with Jemena on how these works affect neighbours.

Why we have generators

Card payments, hospitals and emergency services depend on data centres staying online. If grid power is interrupted, batteries take over instantly and generators start within seconds.

When they run

• Commissioning: when part of a site is built, every generator is tested under load.
• Routine maintenance: shorter, regular tests to make sure they'll start when needed.
• Power interruptions: outages, and planned work on the electricity network that disconnects the site. Network works can run longer than planned if faults are found and must be fixed before power is safely reconnected.

What we commit to

At least 7 business days' notice of planned activity. Planned maintenance and commissioning on weekdays between 9am and 6pm