At the recent Data Centre World event in London, Shane Kilfoil, our President, caught up with the team at Intelligent Briefings to discuss the current data center market, challenges customers are facing and how Subzero Engineering remains a leading manufacturer in data center containment solutions. Take a look below to learn more about Shane and Data Centre World London.
Can you introduce yourself and your company?
My name is Shane Kilfoil, I’m the president of Subzero Engineering. We’re a data center containment company based out of the US, with operations out of the UK and Ireland.
What are you showcasing here at Data Centre World?
Subzero Engineering is showcasing our latest cold aisle and hot aisle containment products, servicing the data center market globally.
What are some of the conversations you’ve been having with potential new customers?
The conversations have varied this year with customers. We have those customers who are really trying to figure out where they stand in a world where interest rates are going up, capital costs more and discovering how they do more with their existing infrastructure. Then we’ve got other customers who already have an eye on the future, looking at what’s coming down the line, for example how liquid or immersion cooling will have a bearing on their data center designs.
How do the demands of your customers vary between the different regions and what are the driving factors behind this?
It’s rather interesting that at the end of the day, most customers are looking for two things. They’re looking for reliability and they are looking for cost-effective operations and solutions. And that doesn’t necessarily vary across the regions, what does vary is how they go about it.
In the US, we’re seeing a lot more floor-supported containment solutions, whereby the aisle frames are supporting not just the containment but the electrical and mechanical conveyance. In Europe, we’re seeing more of the solutions that are still built on the raised floor type environment, so a cold aisle environment. But at the end of the day, all customers are looking at how they can deploy it efficiently, as well as optimizing their operations.
How do you operate with sustainability top of mind, and how is this integrated into your business strategy?
The way you look at sustainability is really three things, first and foremost our products are designed to be more efficient for data centers. We help data center operators operate more efficiently and what do they typically see? They see a reduction in electricity and ultimately see a reduction in water usage. In addition to our products, we’re continuously looking at ways that we can use environmentally friendly products in developing our solutions, we’re looking at recycled aluminum and recycled poly-carb for example, to help reduce our carbon footprint. And then lastly, within our facilites, in both Dublin and in the US, we are continuingly looking at ways that we can operate more efficiently, by reducing not only the electricity consumption but our waste, in terms of manufacturing processes.
How do you ensure you remain a leading manufacturer of data center containment solutions?
Subzero Engineering has been a data center provider for over 20 years now, and one of our hallmarks has been that we’ve been on the cutting edge of solutions, and we do that by listening to our customers. We service just about all of the major hyperscale providers in the world and take feedback from them on board, as well as the colo providers, in developing our next generation of solutions and offerings. Thereby staying at the forefront of what customers need and require.
To watch the full interview, please click here.
If you’re interested in learning more about Subzero and the different solutions it can offer, wherever you are in the world, don’t hesitate to get in touch!