In an increasingly digitized world where the demand for data centers is on the rise, getting ahead of the curve and prioritizing future-ready infrastructure solutions is key to ensuring capacity to adapt to this shifting landscape, keep up with technological advancements, and address industry challenges in an efficient and cost-effective way.

A leading provider of data center white space solutions throughout North America, Accelevation has put future proofing at the forefront of its product development. The company designs, manufactures and installs a range of products that prioritize built-in flexibility and efficiency. Coupled with impressive lead times, Accelevation is living up to its name, combining speed with innovation.

President of power solutions at Accelevation, Nate Carroll explains the importance of future-proofing for data centers, and how the company’s fully in-house approach is helping to address this key challenge, and others, by providing adaptable solutions, quickly.

The need for speed

At a time when industry demands and technological developments are constantly shifting, identifying solutions to present challenges and looking forward to what the future may bring, is essential.

Accelevation believes that offering innovative products with fast lead times, is key to ensuring future-ready operations. Carroll explains:

“The Accelevation motto is speed. So, we're moving fast. We don't delay any investment in technology, in the development of our products, or their rollout.

"The best part about being involved in a fast-moving, growing company, is that, when we make decisions, they can be implemented almost immediately. Once we’ve identified what’s going to come, instead of waiting around, we can get down to designing a solution as soon as possible.”

Change and challenges are coming thick and fast for data center operators, meaning time is of the essence when it comes to securing the necessary infrastructure to keep up with industry demands. Accelevation’s ethos supports efficient end-to-end design and delivery of innovative products that respond directly to customer needs.

“Around a year and a half ago, high density began to emerge as one of the main challenges in the industry. Looking to prepare for its impact as early as possible, we considered how to tackle issues surrounding high density in our product designs,” says Carroll. “With this in mind, we developed a 1,200 amp, up to 2,000 amp remote power panel (RPP), which is distributing power to the rack.”

In order to provide end users with the right tools to meet the growing energy demand, manufacturers must be able to work with customers to anticipate future needs such as this, and respond swiftly.

Creating a one stop shop for white space infrastructure

By designing and manufacturing products in-house, Accelevation facilitates fast and cost-effective installation for users, removing multiple points of contact and streamlining the product development process right through to the final install.

“We looked at some common supply chain issues and developed our own panel board that can accept multiple breakers, so we're not tied to any one breaker manufacturer or panel,” says Carroll. “So, if one manufacturer has a lead time issue, for instance, then we, or the customer, can pivot to another breaker.

“This also applies when interruptions occur, or significant developments in the technology emerge – it’s easy to jump to a different, more suitable solution that meets user requirements.”

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Nate Carroll, Accelevation – Accelevation

Accelevation is vertically integrated, in order to provide a one stop shop for infrastructure needs. The company manufactures its own RPPs, branch circuit whips, PDUs, and more, providing greater control over the supply chain, and reducing the chance of delays. Carroll continues:

“At the same time, we're able to package up multiple elements, and sell at a competitive price. Our customers aren’t paying the markup for using several different companies. Plus, they have more control over the whole process, and we can design bespoke solutions to suit their specific needs, both now and down the line.”

Taking a fully in-house approach, the company is also self certifying and builds under multiple UL certifications. While many companies use third party testing, addressing this key step internally means that end users can benefit from one point of contact and gain peace of mind that each aspect of their infrastructure has the Accelevation stamp of approval. Should faults occur, it’s easy to trace back to the source, and identify a solution quickly.

Managing energy consumption with remote power panels

Increased power demand is only expected to grow alongside the rapid adoption of new technologies, such as AI, and a subsequent surge in the requirements for data processing.

Innovative and sustainable solutions to help manage energy consumption, such as optimizing data center cooling, are becoming increasingly commonplace. Data centers must be able to adapt to burgeoning workloads alongside the growing demand for energy.

“Inside data centers, everything's moving quickly, and if the power requirements are changing every few months, you need to be able to update the infrastructure just as swiftly,” says Carroll. “Designing a facility with an RPP means we can make changes relatively easily and efficiently when compared to the busway, which can be limited by amperage.”

New to Accelevation’s product line-up, the core RPP is a modular, high-capacity electrical distribution solution engineered for the unique demands of modern data center environments. With a current rating ranging from 225A to 800A, it offers the ability to adapt to changing power requirements.

The base RPP cabinet, measuring a compact 24” wide and 12” deep, delivers up to 600A, while an optional 12” wide boost sidecar expands capacity to 800A. The versatile setup ensures reliable, consistent power for critical equipment.

For larger configurations, the dual base RPP allows for two cabinets back-to-back, supporting up to 168 standard circuits.

In addition, the high density (HD) RPP has been designed to power either standard or AI racks. The innovative solution provides enough power to drive AI level rack densities in a compact 38” x 16” footprint.

It’s integrated with a high-density breaker panel to accept distribution breakers up to 1,200A. When coupled with a grey-space transformer, the HD RPP delivers a 25 percent reduction in costs compared to traditional PDUs.

The modular design of the HD RPP allows data centers to use any transformer and directly feed busway and additional high-density loads. With an optional universal panel adapter, it accepts breakers from any major manufacturer, ensuring supply chain flexibility, shorter lead times and the avoidance of vendor lock-in.

Providing built-in flexibility

It’s clear that the ability to respond and adapt to ever-increasing power demands is essential for successful data center operations. Accelevation’s RPPs, plus its streamlined, in-house approach to design and delivery, is helping to address this key challenge.

“With an RPP, you’re not dependent on a single manufacturer. So, if you need to switch out or upgrade your plugs for new racks or servers, for example, you won’t face delays in the supply chain, or risk postponing the necessary updates because of an existing backlog,” explains Carroll.

“Instead of saying to customers, ‘here’s what we have available’ and making them design around a set product, we want to ask, ‘what exactly do you need? And how can we put something together in a way that meets your requirements?’ Being vertically integrated means we’re able to react quickly to customer preferences, and deliver efficiently, too,” he continues.

For both suppliers and end users, the ability to respond swiftly to changing industry demands must be a priority. It’s key to supporting scalability and efficient operation in a highly competitive market.

Addressing wider industry challenges: Labor shortages

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– Accelevation

Behind the products are the skilled individuals that make these essential and innovative solutions possible. As the demand for data centers increases, identifying and hiring the right people at the optimal time to support this growth is paramount.

It’s up to those in the industry to pave the way for the right talent to design, build and run data centers of the future. Accelevation is putting the new generation first by reaching out directly to local talent. Carroll explains:

“I love working with VCU Engineering School of Engineering in Richmond, where one of our offices is located. We encourage students to come and tour our facilities. We also work with other universities where young people are able to come and work on projects with us, similar to an internship.

While finding the right individuals to help support data center operations is a challenge for everyone, as the industry grows, so will interest and awareness of data centers and the varied opportunities the sector can offer.”

It’s evident that a combination of self-sufficiency, innovative product development and investment in people will help future-proof data centers and ensure successful operations in the face of a rapidly developing landscape.

Furthermore, successful collaboration between manufacturers and end users is vital to effectively identify emerging challenges in the industry, and develop the necessary infrastructure solutions, before those hurdles have a chance to hinder our progress.

For more information, please visit www.accelevation.com, or reach out to your Accelevation sales representative.