Your biggest IT challenge isn’t space, it’s density

It’s becoming increasingly clear that many businesses have outgrown their on-premises computer rooms. But while lack of space may look like the obvious issue, the real challenge is the power and cooling needed to run today’s high-density hardware. Left unchecked, this can undermine performance, waste investment and put future projects at risk.

And nowhere is this pressure more obvious than with the latest AI hardware. Packed with powerful GPUs, these specialised servers concentrate enormous amounts of power and heat into a tiny footprint, pushing traditional server rooms beyond their limits.

But this isn’t just about AI. As all modern hardware becomes more powerful, whatever you’re using it for, you’re probably facing the same density challenge.

Why your server room fails the density test

The power demands of modern hardware have soared. In just a few years, the average power density per server rack has doubled, climbing from 5kW to as high as 10kW or more.

And that has created two critical problems that most offices were never designed to solve.

1. The power density problem

There’s a lot more to this than finding a spare plug socket. When you’re thinking about power, you need to consider the entire chain, from your building’s main supply to the circuits in the wall. Pushing that much power through a single machine stresses every link in the chain. Most office environments just aren’t able to handle that kind of sustained, concentrated load, making it an ever-present risk to your daily operations.

2. The thermal density problem

If you remember your school physics lessons, you’ll recall that every watt of power that goes into your server comes out as heat. And in a confined space, that’s a problem. But turning up the office air con won’t fix things. Because there’s more to it than keeping the room at a comfortable temperature. When a GPU gets too hot, it engages a built-in safety mechanism called thermal throttling, deliberately slowing itself down to prevent damage. That’s crucial for protecting the hardware, but it has the unfortunate side effect of crippling the performance of your very expensive investment.

To tackle these challenges, businesses need a different kind of environment – one that can handle these high demands effectively.

The solution: colocation as density management

This is where a colocation data centre proves its worth. It’s a purpose-built environment designed to manage high-density compute as its core function. Or, in other words, getting the maximum amount of processing power from the minimum amount of space.

A modern data centre provides a resilient, end-to-end power infrastructure, built to deliver high-density power safely and reliably. It uses sophisticated methods, like close coupled cooling which places cooling units right next to the hardware, to efficiently remove huge amounts of heat directly from the source. The same engineering that makes a data centre powerful also makes it highly efficient, helping you meet your sustainability goals. It’s the difference between a professional, managed solution and a high-risk office workaround.

The Zen difference: your partner for growth

Choosing the right partner is about more than just the data centre itself. At Zen, our role is to handle the complexity of the infrastructure so you can focus on innovation.

We understand that your power needs will likely grow over time. You might start with a single server for a proof-of-concept but soon you’ll need to scale. We have the space, power and connectivity to grow with you – with up to 50 amps of power available per rack to handle the most demanding hardware. Our on-site engineers are here to provide support, demystifying the process and helping you get it right from day one.

Whatever your challenge, reframing the problem from one of space to one of density is the key to making a smarter, more strategic choice for your infrastructure.

If you’re ready to explore how a purpose-built data centre can solve your power and density challenges, click here to get in touch or find out more.