European infrastructure vendor Schneider Electric has expanded the range of modular, pre-fabricated data center products it offers in the US.

The additions include SmartShelter Container and SmartShelter Data Hall.

SmartShelter Container fits between four and ten racks in a standard ISO shipping container. It was designed for edge applications, as well as for customers who need to quickly deploy a data center in a remote location, in industries like healthcare or oil and gas exploration.

SmartShelter Data Hall consists of several modules and can provide space for up to 105 racks in a base configuration. It is aimed at service providers, cloud operators and large enterprises.

The new products were introduced at a conference held by analyst firm Gartner in Las Vegas.

Coming to America

According to Schneider, modular approach to data centers can simplify planning, construction and maintenance of customer infrastructure. Pre-fabricated facilities are cheaper than brick-and mortar counterparts, and can be deployed in a fraction of the time.

Schneider’s SmartShelter Data Halls consist of modules that include racks and cabinets alongside power and cooling equipment. Each Data Hall can support power and cooling capacity of up to 500kW. The modules are available with air economization or chilled water cooling.

The enclosures are made to order, so they can be customized according to customer requirements. Each module ships fully integrated with Struxureware data center Infrastructure management (DCIM) software.

SmartShelter Containers follow the same design principles but offer a single enclosure, intended to be placed at the edge of the network.

The new products complement Schneider’s original SmartShelter Module, and the range of multi-purpose power modules and skids.

Schneider has also announced that it has made a significant investment to improve the quality and availability of its equipment in the US, with a new 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility located in West Chester, Ohio. The plant should reduce lead times and shipping costs for customers across the country.

“As the world grows more connected, cloud and edge computing are driving the need for businesses to deploy flexible and cost-effective IT infrastructure,” said Andrew Bradner, Vice President-Prefabricated Data Centers, Schneider Electric-IT Division.

“With the enhanced Schneider Electric Prefabricated Data Center offerings, we allow customers to solve business challenges such as speed to market and future-proofing, as well as empower them to experience innovation at every level of the data center through flexible and reliable solutions that grow with their business.”