Digital twin at the high-performance computing center Green IT Cube — DC Smarter and GSI/FAIR cooperate
03.05.2023 |
DC Smarter and GSI concluded a future-oriented cooperation agreement: The German IT company is the first industrial partner to move into the Digital Open Lab at the high-performance computing center Green IT Cube of GSI/FAIR, where it will make its DC Vision® solution available. By combining a digital twin with augmented reality, the software optimizes key data center tasks such as remote hands services, documentation management and visual inspections. In the Green IT Cube, the functions of the DC Vision solution can be tested under real operation conditions and — according to the goal of the cooperation — provide insights for further enhancing the software. At the same time, IT experts at the high-performance data center are provided with latest technology to evaluate general strategies for running a sustainable data center.
Digitization requires data centers and competent personnel to operate them. But this is precisely where the challenges lie: On the one hand, the requirements and complexity of IT systems increase; on the other hand, it is becoming more and more difficult to find well-trained data center technicians and engineers. This is where DC Vision comes in. The software centralizes all information about the various components in the data center. For each individual rack, a digital twin is created which exactly replicates reality. If changes have to be made to a rack, AR glasses provide data center engineers with a variety of additional information about the rack they are currently working. This greatly simplifies remote services in particular, as all work steps can be clearly defined. The probability of errors drops precipitously. In addition, technicians can access other sources as needed, updating or adding data to the digital twin as appropriate.
Dr. Helmut Kreiser, head of the Green IT Cube from the IT department of GSI/FAIR, sees a lot of potential in the technology: “Our data center has multiple levels, and we’re currently running 128 racks per level. Documentation management takes up a lot of time here, but is crucial to ensure the security of the infrastructure. We’re pleased to be able to utilize the concept of the digital twin with DC Vision, which reduces this effort and provides considerable added value.” In the future, there are plans to use sensors more intensively in the data center and integrate them into the digital twin concept, as Dr. Kreiser explains: “Our goal is to enable visual inspections with AR glasses that provide us with all relevant information at a glance. Having all this data in view, we could directly identify errors and even anticipate potential interruptions.”
For DC Smarter, the Green IT Cube represents the ideal environment to demonstrate the software to interested companies or organizations. Jörg Hesselink, CEO DC Smarter, is enthusiastic about the cooperation: “We are delighted to be the first partner to move into the Digital Open Lab at the Green IT Cube. For us, this is the ideal combination of research environment and real data center infrastructure. Here we can both comprehensively present our software to prospects and also receive valuable suggestions for additional functionalities.”
DC Vision is based on an existing Data Center Infrastructure Management System (DCIM). The digital twin is created on the basis of existing information. Jörg Hesselink knows from experience: “Only 50 percent of all companies regularly update the required information. The user-friendly interface of our software simplifies asset management and prevents media disruptions, thus ensuring the secure and reliable operation of the infrastructure over the long term.” (DC Smarter/CP)
