An international consortium of industrial and university partners has announced plans to construct a green data center at a location in Malaysia’s Klang Valley. The project features liquid submersion cooling and aims to increase the sustainability of data centers by changing the way facilities are cooled, therein reducing energy consumption by up to 50 percent, improving energy security and reducing localized emissions caused by diesel-powered backup generators.

The project will feature technology and systems analysis from Dearman, Green Data Center LLP, Heriot-Watt University (in Edinburgh, Scotland) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

“Data is at the heart of the modern world,” says Toby Peters, founder and CEO of Dearman. “But, although people may not realize it, online activity has a considerable energy requirement and an enormous environmental footprint. This project, which brings together world-class innovation from the UK and Malaysia, has the potential to revolutionize the way that data centers are cooled and therefore the energy they require. The research could represent an important step towards making the digital world a much greener place to interact, to share information and to do business.”

The Dearman Engine will be used at the center to harness the expansion of liquid nitrogen to provide zero-emission backup power and cooling, with Green Data Center LLP providing techniques for liquid submersion cooling.

“We believe next generation data centers should be energy rational, low cost and ultra-dependable,” says Matthew Rajendra, CEO and founder of Green Data Center LLP. “This game-changing project with our consortium partners will empower the team to deliver a holistic solution to green data centers globally.”

Heriot-Watt University will provide systems integration and sustainability analysis to ensure that the technologies deliver maximum environmental benefit in addressing a critical socioeconomic urban development challenge, and the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia will support the project by developing a sustainable computing model to assist the management of the technology.

“This project will create a replicable and commercially viable approach to sustainable computing for reconciling urbanization with environmental risk and climate change globally,” says Dr. Jalil Ali, a professor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. “We at UTM are proud to be part of this collaboration that will lead to significant social impact through improved urban air quality, enabling sustainable connectivity and the creation of a green technology commercialization hub in Malaysia.”