Interview with Gordon Johnson for www.intelligentdatacentres.com
Data Center Industry Interview
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data center industry?
It’s hard to settle on just one memorable event, but I fondly recall working on a project for a large data center customer that was still in the design phase. My modeling showed that with some simple design changes, the customer could increase supply temperatures and lower airflow, resulting in an annual savings of approximately US$400,000. The customer made the recommended changes from the modeling and about two years later after the facility was up and operating, I received a call, claiming my energy savings and annual operating costs were on the conservative side.
They estimated they had saved closer to US$500,000 in operating costs in just one year and had simultaneously made a major impact in reducing their CO2 footprint. This is not a one-time event either. I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years, and I can honestly say that anytime I can help data center operators and managers understand and save on their TCO by operating their data center as efficiently as possible is always a memorable moment for me.
What first made you think of a career in technology/data centers?
I started doing Disaster Recovery work in data centers, but soon found my passion was in the design and operating of energy efficiency data centers. This led me to reach out and obtain various certifications to help with the goal of helping our industry become as sustainable and green as possible.
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position?
I believe that a successful manager needs to possess effective communication and listening skills, and I try to apply these skills whether I’m managing or being managed. In addition, I strongly believe in the importance of showing respect to others, which includes valuing others’ beliefs, contributions and ideas. I’ve seen firsthand that this results in increased productivity, improved employee and team morale, and helps reduce turnover. Well respected employees are happier, more productive and tend to work harder with a greater sense of pride in their work. You can never go wrong when it comes to listening, communicating and showing respect to others.
What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data center space?
One hot topic is AI (Artificial Intelligence), and that some form of liquid cooling will be needed to cool our next generation data centers. While AI requires significant computing power, the reality is that it currently represents a small fraction of ITE’s global energy consumption, although that’s expected to change and increase in the next five years. Therefore, to offset the environmental impact of AI, greater control over data center energy consumption will increasingly become a top priority. We’re also going to want to look at our data center designs and especially our cooling from a holistic approach as opposed to the current one size fits all perspective.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?
Volunteer work has always been an important part of my life, and I find any opportunity to work with and help others to be one of the greatest stress relievers available. I also believe that exercise on a regular basis is a big stress reliever, so I try to stay as active as possible during down time. I love to play tennis, run a few local 5K events each year, and nothing helps me unwind more than daily long walks with my dog.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
We’re going to need to get serious and give more attention to sustainability in our industry. This includes avoiding the ‘rip and replace’ mentality where we’re constantly replacing our cooling and ITE every few years. Smart investing and positive sustainability practices include properly specifying our hardware and cooling to last at least 10 years. In addition, if we’re planning on moving towards some form of liquid cooling during that time period, we’ll want to focus on what type of technology works best for our business case, both now and in the future.
What are the region-specific challenges you encounter in your role?
Since our industry is constantly looking towards reducing energy usage, which includes free cooling and the use of renewable power, one region-specific challenge I encounter is where to build new data centers. While many factors are involved in this decision including the availability of land, power and water, the challenge exists to find and maximize the use of colder climates for new buildings. These colder climates are naturally favorable since they reduce or sometimes even eliminate the reliance on conventional cooling systems which are energy intensive. With cooler climates we may be able to just run naturally available cold air or chilled water in the data center to reduce temperatures at the ITE, saving significantly on capital costs and reduce operational expenses.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the coming months?
Data centers are increasingly adopting greener practices to be more sustainable and energy efficient, and now we’re starting to see more products inside the white space being made from greener and more environmentally friendly materials. One of my roles recently has been to research and determine the GWP (Global Warming Potential) benefits of using recyclable and composite materials for both cold and hot aisle containment products. Besides further lowering the GWP and carbon footprint in the white space, these products will assist data centers to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification which proves they have reduced environmental impact, comply with regulations and are operating with enhanced efficiency.