Equinix is moving away from traditional cooling methods in two new data centers being built in Europe.

When its AM3 data center in Amsterdam opens in September or October this year, water will be pumped from artesian aquifers as soon as temperatures outside rise above 15 degrees to keep equipment inside cool.

It will rely on free-air cooling the rest of the year.

It will be the first time Aquifers have been used to cool a data center in Europe, and possibly the world, according to Equinix production manager for colocation in Europe David Ellis.

ZH5 – Equinix’s fifth data center in Zurich which will open later this year, is also adopting a new cooling solution.

It will be using ammonia chillers to make it much more efficient.

This data center, with 6,670 sq ft of customer floor space, will be built to LEED Gold standards.

Ellis said both projects highlight Equinix’s moves around the world to make its data center more efficient. In FOCUS 25, out later this month, we highlight another project Equinix is carrying out in a retrofit facility in Singapore that includes high efficiency CRAH Fans and new air flow management.

“We are trying to make efficiencies wherever we can,” Ellis said.

AM3 and ZH5 cooling in detail

In the case of AM3, the 6,400 sq m data center is being built in the Amsterdam Science Park, which is not only one of the most carrier dense locations in Europe, with 150 networks, but also happens to sit right on top of a number of other artesian aquifers.

Cooling towers will draw cold water into chillers from the aquifers.

“When it gets hot, we will supplement from the wells, and when it is cold we will fill the aquifers, using cold air outside to cool the chilled water and refill the wells,” Ellis said.

“We don’t need any mechanical chillers at all. This obviously reduces our energy consumption.”

The CRAC units will also be optimized to be run at 75 to 80% - their sweet spot according to Ellis - which uses about 25% of their total power consumption.

Equinix also plans to move away from its standard data center temperature of 22 degrees to 25 degrees for AM3, which is still within ASHRAE guidelines.

Zurich’s ZH5 will also have its data center temperature, currently planned for 22 degrees, assessed for running at 25 degrees at some point in the future.

Dealing with the financial services industries in Switzerland means Equinix has different customer requirements, more along the traditional lines, according to Ellis.

ZH5’s ammonia chillers will help the facility more efficient for now, according to Ellis.

But this solution, which Ellis said will be more expensive initially, will require tweaking for health and safety reasons due to the caustic nature of Amonia and its bad smell.

“We have to make sure our staff are highly trained for this solution as it has much more stringent health and safety parameters. But the benefit is performance, and ammonia is not a carbon depletory,” Ellis said.