UII UPDATE 279 | AUGUST 2024
Intelligence Update

Rack densification: is it really happening this time?

Since Uptime Institute first began tracking global average IT rack power density some time ago (now shrouded in the mists of time), there has been little movement in the data.

It is a truism that data center designs (mission-critical facilities in particular) evolve gradually and at a measured pace at best. Still, expectations of power density have consistently run ahead of actual trends — with some industry pundits advocating for widespread use of 20 kW (or even more powerful) racks more than a decade ago. This was when typical rack density was around 4 kW or 5 kW, which continues to be a common density range today.

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