Based around Microsoft’s much publicised Quincy facility, DB3 takes a fresh approach to data centre design.  DB3 is the first mega data centre dedicated to Microsoft in EMEA. The company classifies it as a GEN3 design with GEN4 options. This facility integrates unconventional and localised design solutions to achieve greater efficiency, deviating from more traditional methods used in many current facilities. 

This expansion in Dublin is in line with the company’s long term business approach to meet future demand by pre-investing in a way that allows it to support future capacity (incrementally) and in a cost effective manner.

Microsoft is committed to exploring innovative ways for people to use technology and how to support those opportunities. With the launch of its strategy for Softwareplus-Services it was well understood that its data centres would have to grow to support customer needs and demands worldwide. The limited available capacity for lease space, compounded with the technology requirements of its platforms, soon showed a considerable shortfall in the marketplace.

These factors, combined with a focus on high energy efficiency and automation, impelled Microsoft to construct its own facilities to meet its own demanding standards and allow for greater ecosystem integration.

This level of sophistication is hard to achieve in standard leasing arrangements. 

The use of free air-cooling at the DB3 facility is the first large scale implementation of its kind in this region. This unconventional design can help to show what is possible and has also opened new opportunities to Microsoft in its design of future facilities. The free air AHU systems are configured to support the server room in an N+1 configuration. In the event of low temperature, warm air mixing is used. In the event of extreme temperatures, two stages of cooling are used: first Adiabatic, second via DX which is installed as back-up. 

As part of installation, start-up, and acceptance testing of all systems and equipment, Microsoft introduced a 6-stage colour coded equipment tagging system. This involved buy in from the contractors, suppliers, manufacturers & ommissioning team at each major stage in the process. Early implementation of the Critical Environments Team to develop comprehensive Standard Operating and Emergency Operating Procedures for all normal, emergency and manual mode operations in a timely manner and prior to ntegrated System Testing (IST). This ensured that BMS was started up and fully certified prior to commissioning. 

One very important performance metric at the DB3 facility is PUE. The company strives to achieve the lowest PUE possible in its design expectations which are published openly.  According to Microsoft, mega facilities should not be a big box that cannot change internally- they no longer need to be large scale buildings as so much can be done without the need to build massive enclosures for electrical, mechanical and server equipment.