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As the British data centre industry experiences a period of significant growth, operators are urged to embrace condition-based monitoring (CBM) and predictive maintenance strategies. This call comes on the heels of a report indicating a nearly 20% increase in UK data centres.
With many centres slated for construction over the next five years, about 66% of operators plan to retrofit a quarter of their existing centres. Designated as critical national infrastructure, these hubs are essential to the UK's economic landscape. To ensure 99.999% uptime alongside peak energy efficiency, Arfon Engineering advocates for condition-based monitoring.
Through real-time data collection from sensors, CBM analyses equipment health, predicting potential failures early. This allows for proactive maintenance, preventing costly downtimes and extending the lifespan of assets.
Alice Oakes, service and support manager at Arfon, commented on the growing complexity and energy demands of data centres. "Outages can cost thousands per minute, and the consequences often stretch from financial to reputational damage. Predictive maintenance is more cost-effective and environmentally responsible than traditional reactive or preventative approaches. This presents decisionmakers with the chance to produce less waste from prematurely replaced components, benefit from greater energy efficiency of assets and significantly extend the lifespan of mission-critical assets, such as cooling systems and power supplies.”
By reducing unnecessary part replacements, CBM helps lower carbon emissions and reduces energy consumption, addressing the sector’s environmental challenges. With substantial investments planned, including tens of billions in upcoming projects, CBM offers operators a safety net against financial loss due to unexpected outages, some costing over $100,000 apiece.
Alice explains further that incorporating predictive maintenance into both new builds and retrofitting projects allows operators to foster smarter, more adaptive centres. This approach stands as a strategic investment from the outset, securing uptime and resilience.
