Carrier-neutral data center operator CyrusOne, has won DCD's Hyperscale Data Center Innovation Award. Sponsored by Multiplex, the award celebrates technological innovations in original hyperscale design.
CyrusOne's Project Kinorca Project was established to develop office and data center space in Loudoun County, Northern Virginia and is one of the largest data centers in North America. The Kinorca data center is a multi-level facility built in two phases, with the Sterling 6 project constituting phase 2 of the project. Sterling 6 is a two-story addition to phase 1, containing 325,000 gross sq ft, with an additional office block and four 50,000 sq ft data halls, with 45MW of critical power and cooling.
Sterling 6 was developed to accommodate a hyperscale customer, and has been divided into two segregated facilities with separate support systems for independent operation. Much of the facility is occupied by the hyperscale customer, while the remainder is used as an MTDC.
Sterling 6 was delivered as part of Cloudburst, a multi-project construction program that focused on capacity upgrades and new data halls in the initial phase, with the subsequent phase a large-scale addition.
Project Explained
The Massively Modular approach enables CyrusOne to commission large scale data center facilities in approximately 12-16 weeks. This approach allowed the Sterling 6 project to be deliverable quickly, while being flexible enough to meet a wide range of customer requirements. The highly flexible data hall layout and modular equipment groups support a range of floor and rack densities.
The supply and trade coordinator allows CyrusOne to quickly plan, implement and maintain projects such as Sterling 6. Utilizing a wide variety of trade partners, with pre-fabricated equipment yields quick delivery times, even in the tightest of timeframes. The finely choreographed process allows the teams to quickly execute relevant tasks in an assembly line like fashion.
Sterling 6 is an example of an expertly engineered data center, that matches customer driven requirements. The predictable and reliable delivery of cooling, power, and space means implementation is not an issue, even with aggressive timelines imposed by large hyperscale customers.
Proof of implementation
The commissioning of Sterling 6 required a number of adaptations to meet utility power demand. The data halls of 50,000 sq ft was a double delivery of 24MW, 12 MW each. In order to meet the high power demand, the team developed an intricate schedule covering levels 2 through 5 that worked within the utility service, without endangering customer operations in phase 1.
The process was completely coordinated with customer load requirements and utility restrictions on a daily basis, but was delivered three days ahead of schedule. The level of excellence in the planning and execution of the Sterling 6 project made it a stand out success.
Sterling 6 was a seamless hyperscale project that combined aggressive logistic and construction delivery with large scale deployment of capital, human resources and material resources in a very compressed timeframe.
