New system delivers the most reliable and efficient data center thermal management to the edge without the use of outside air or water

Austin, Texas – March 02, 2018 – Vapor IO,the leader in edge computing and edge data centers,and BasX Solutions, one of the world’s leading authorities on data center cooling, today announced a revolutionary new cooling system specifically designed for challenging edge environments. By integrating BasX’s patent-pending hyperscale-grade cooling system with Vapor IO’s Vapor Edge Module (VEM), the companies are able to deliver the smallest footprint multi-tenant micro data center with more than 150 kW of critical IT load in edge environments. The solution provides all the benefits of free and economized cooling, which is today’s gold standard, with none of the drawbacks associated with outside air economization or evaporative water consumption. The first Vapor Edge Modules will be deployed as part of Vapor IO’s Project Volutus in the third quarter of 2018. Vapor IO expects to start deploying at scale by Q4 2018.

“BasX has specially-adapted their hyperscale cooling technology to the Vapor Edge Module, reconfiguring it for a small footprint and remote operation in rugged edge locations,” said Cole Crawford, founder and CEO of Vapor IO. “BasX’s unmatched manufacturing and design expertise—as well as their cooling technology—make them the perfect partner for manufacturing our Edge Module, helping us accelerate the next-generation internet via Project Volutus.”

Delivering Free Cooling to Even the Most Rugged Edge Environments

Vapor IO and BasX jointly designed the Vapor Edge Module’s highly-efficient cooling system with specific edge environment requirements in mind. In particular:

• Edge locations lack access to an on-site water supply, so evaporative cooling and other water-consuming options are untenable (not to mention falling out of favor due to their environmental impact).
• Edge data centers must occupy an extremely small footprint, which is achieved by fully-integrating the cooling system into the design rather than bolting on externally mounted “package units.”
• Edge data centers are often located in rugged and hard-to-reach locations, have no on-site staff and still require high levels of reliability. It’s critically important to have component-level redundancy, utilize remote monitoring and operational tools, as well as eliminate costly air and water filters, which are expensive and have to be frequently replaced. This is key to making the edge data center economical to operate.
• Edge data centers must be capable of powering (and cooling) substantial amounts of IT equipment, such as at least 150 kW of critical IT gear in a highly-efficient manner.

BasX and Vapor IO used their combined manufacturing and design expertise to deliver on all of these considerations in the Vapor Edge Module. BasX will manufacture the Vapor Edge Module, incorporating the joint designs and innovative technologies from both companies.

“Each and every data center space has its own challenges in regards to space constraints, cooling density, and many other factors. In order to deliver the Vapor Edge Module, we had to uniquely configure our cooling system to perform in that compact space and create safe and exact air handling conditions in frequently rugged conditions,” said BasX president and co-founder Matt Tobolski PhD, SE. “The Vapor Chamber’s patented airflow system inside the Vapor Edge Module is a great match for BasX’s cooling technology, making it possible for us to jointly deliver a high-performance multi-tenant edge data center. We also found the capabilities of Vapor’s software-based telemetry systems ideal for analyzing, tuning and remotely operating edge data centers to ensure we are able to accurately track cooling system performance.”

The Vapor Edge Module will deliver the most reliable and efficient data center thermal management to the edge—all without the use of outside air or water. Benefits include:

• Edge-Readiness – The first and only multi-tenant modular data center capable of cooling 150 kW of critical IT equipment load in challenging edge environments.
• Hyperscale Efficiency – Patented air management, continuous “free cooling” and on-demand compressor-based cooling adapted to edge environments rivals the efficiency of the largest and most advanced data centers in the world.
• Eco-Friendly – Extremely energy efficient, and uses no external water supply. Provides a PUE of 1.2 or better in any climate.
• Rugged, Reliable – Completely self-contained system that requires no external water piping and no external air filtering. Component-level redundancy increases resilience.
• Autonomic and adaptable – Dozens of sensors and variable speeds on components (fans, pumps, compressors) allows for efficient operation, remote monitoring and behavior-tuning in software.

Availability

The first Vapor Edge Modules will ship in Q3 2018 of which 100 percent are fully allocated. Vapor IO is accepting orders now for delivery in Q4 2018. For more information, please contact Vapor IO via their website.