How will the data centers of the future be powered? It’s a hot topic for everyone in the industry right now, as for the first time, environmental sustainability targets in some regions are exceeding the self-regulation that has guided us for so long. As data center construction ramps up in scale, and power grids begin to buckle under the strain, future facilities will need a strong guiding hand to navigate a green future.
Baudouin has been building engines for a variety of sectors, including data centers, for over a century, making them ideally placed to give some insight into the future of data center power. DCD spoke with Enrique Moraga, business development director for data center applications, to learn more. The company started out creating marine engines and has transferred the knowledge gained into creating products for other markets including diesel gensets for data centers.
He explains: “Baudouin has built a strong reputation for manufacturing robust engines over the years, giving us an advantage in developing robust products for data centers. Our long-standing expertise, coupled with the synergies from our parent company Weichai, allows us to provide some of the largest and most reliable engines available on the market today.”
Moraga begins by explaining why there are still barriers to truly carbon-free power.
“Generating energy in the desired location for a data center can be complex due to geographic constraints and infrastructure requirements, making it challenging to align generation with demand in optimal areas,” says Moraga, who goes on to explain that renewable energy projects can take considerable time to set up, due to regulations and permitting, building the surrounding infrastructure and storage, all at a time when building at scale, as quickly as possible, is the only way to meet demand.
Even cleaner fuels such as hydrogen have their obstacles. “The introduction of new technologies, such as hydrogen, still requires a substantial maturation period to meet the market's demands, as the production and supply chain is yet to mature.”
Baudouin’s expertise is often utilized in creating backup power for data centers. We ask Moraga if there has been a change in the selection process for diesel generators on new builds in response to the world’s increased environmental focus. Whilst the impact so far has been limited, with Moraga determining: “Diesel generators remain the most mature and competitive solution for providing backup power, ensuring an uninterrupted electrical supply to data centers at any time.” He points to increasing demand for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which offers the same performance as diesel and can even be used interchangeably but cuts up to 90 percent of carbon emissions.
But, we ask, if HVO is so good, why isn’t everyone using it? The answer is a question of supply and demand. Existing production has been focused on decarbonizing vehicle fleets, and although production of HVO has increased dramatically in recent years, the supply chain is still yet to fully mature. “We cannot replace fossil diesel overnight, and availability remains limited depending on the region.” says Moraga, adding: “HVO supply is steadily improving, and it can now be sourced without significant issues across Europe. The Middle East is also making rapid progress in this area.”
Moraga believes that future data centers will be powered by a hybrid of multiple energy sources brought together to create a microgrid, including renewables, on-site gas plants, and others such as hydrogen, as they mature. Additionally, energy storage is likely to mature, giving more reliable access to backup sources. He cites three main drivers that will impact the future of primary power usage:
“Sustainability is prompting data center operators to transition from traditional power generation sources to renewable energy, as the rest of society is also doing. However, the increase in power requirements due to the deployment of generative AI technologies is making it more challenging to meet these needs with only renewable energy, which is still under development as well as constrained by infrastructure. All this is happening as requirements for the speed of data center construction are becoming increasingly stringent.”
Moraga believes that ‘diesel’ gensets are likely to remain the dominant form of back-up power for some time to come, but the fuels used will evolve toward HVO, and eventually renewables. He adds: “Fuel cells, particularly those using Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology running with green hydrogen, could become a viable long-term solution if they prove to be competitive and available.”
We begin drilling down on the effect that the unstoppable march of AI is having on the industry's power requirements. Moraga’s answer is unequivocal. He predicts that power demands could rise by as much as 10x: “Two to three years ago, projects typically used generators rated between 2000-3000 kVA. Today, it is common to see projects requiring generators rated at 4000 kVA, with Baudouin being one of the few manufacturers capable of providing this level of power for data centers,” adding that “This trend is driving the design and production of even larger generators, such as the Baudouin 20M55, which represents the most powerful high-speed engine ever manufactured for backup power solutions.”
Baudouin’s expertise has led them to develop a proprietary Engine Control Unit (ECU) that can dynamically adjust the fuel/air mix for maximum efficiency and the implementation of high-pressure common rail systems. Moraga tells us: “This innovation has an impact on sustainability by enhancing fuel efficiency, which means a reduction in CO2 production. Additionally, all Baudouin engines can run on HVO fuel, which further dramatically decreases the CO2 footprint,” adding “In terms of load acceptance, the impact of these innovations is that Baudouin engines demonstrate impressive transient load acceptance capabilities, meeting the G3 standard according to ISO 8528 throughout the range.”
In a world where the data center industry is increasingly having to juggle sustainability goals across multiple markets, Baudouin recognizes these challenges and is building toward exceeding the most stringent requirements. “We work every day on providing cleaner and greener solutions, following the stringent expectations of policies in different markets,” says Moraga.
All of Baudouin’s solutions are ready for HVO, meaning that users can jump to sustainable diesel alternatives as availability allows. We ask what other innovations are making for a greener world: “For other types of emissions, we offer additional solutions such as SCRs (selective catalytic reduction) to lower NOx emissions and DPFs (diesel particulate filters) to reduce particulate matter (PM), among other technologies.”
Finally, we ask Moraga to address the “power crunch”. The exponential demand for new facilities has created a huge strain on local power grids, with some refusing to accept requests from new builds in order to protect the wider customer base. We ask Moraga how he sees this affecting the way that the data centers of the future will be powered. He believes that it will force operators to choose from a variety of sources on a case-by-case basis, but adds that “While it’s difficult to make generalizations, there will be instances where on-site power solutions, such as gas generators for primary power, will be implemented. In fact, we are already observing this trend today.”
Meanwhile, for backup power, Moraga warns that supply chain issues have meant that manufacturers are often offering lead times of up to and even over 18 months, making planning ahead vital for design and build. However, Baudouin has moved to address the problem: “Baudouin is not experiencing such constraints and continues to offer industry-leading lead times. We are also expanding our facilities, like our historical factory in France, to further enhance our capabilities. As a result, Baudouin remains at the forefront of lead times for power solutions, particularly for those exceeding 3000 kVA.”
The big takeaway is that powering data centers is no longer something that operators can take for granted, and that simply assuming you will be hooking up to the grid is no longer enough. Not only do data centers have to look to alternative power sources for their main supply, and make those informed decisions at the site selection phase, but it is also vital to ensure that backup systems are robust. The days when diesel gensets were “dirty but usual” are long gone, and by enlisting experts like Baudouin, you can have a reliable backup power source, wherever it is needed.
For more information about Baudouin’s backup generator solutions for data centers, please click here