1) for those who can handle the density a small unit is terrific (and I think in 2015 datacenters will start designing new rooms/racks with bitcoin mining in mind)
2) saving a lot on heatsinks, a larger case, and shipping costs
3) with immersion cooling on the horizon it makes some sense to understand how efficiently the units can be cooled with the least aluminum and airflow, as density of chips in immersion will be a prioity
1) Absolutely. As a datacenter developer (and SP30 and SP10 customer), I'm very happy about the SP?0 power density.
1. 40kw per rack requires extreme (and extremely expensive) cooling. I think most datacenters being built in 2015+ will use immersion cooling.
3. I think it's about time to just make the switch over to immersion cooling. There's really no competition. Even with 40C dT air cooling still can't match the density or efficiency of immersion cooling.
1. I don't think so. If you do it the traditional datacenter way, with in-aisle air conditioners or water cooling loops with water chillers on the roof, then yes, it's expensive. I think there's a better way. I should know in late August if it works. It will likely be cheaper than immersion cooling.
3. I expect my DC's PUE to be under 1.05 (not including transformer losses, substation losses, and voltage drop losses). That might be higher than Allied Control's claimed 1.01, but not by much. (Their 1.01 figure certainly doesn't include any of the electrical losses I mentioned, since a transformer's efficiency is essentially never above 99%.)
