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Austin Vernon

What Austin Vernon thinks about data centers

@austin-vernon · 42 positions · On ppll ↗

Engineer and investor who writes quantitative posts about how physical industries actually work — chemical plants, geothermal drilling, shipyards, thermal storage and the economics of low-volume manufacturing — at austinvernon.site.

Austin Vernon did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

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Only Austin Vernon on data centers. See everyone on data centers

9 dated positions, 2024, in their own words. Our reading of what Austin Vernon has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingA data centre powered by solar and batteries alone needs an array so oversized that the design is not worth building.

    solardesignbatteries

    Their wordsThe solar array sizes under these assumptions are prohibitively large.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 1st of 9 in this piece

  3. Our readingLetting generators cover one per cent of the year is what makes an off-grid solar data centre affordable, because the last few gloomy days set the whole array size.

    solarenergy

    Their wordsThe optimal scenario is typically when the generators supply 1% of yearly electricity (shown below).

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 2nd of 9 in this piece

  5. Our readingCooling adds nothing to what a data centre produces, which is why it is the first thing a good design deletes rather than optimises.

    energydesign

    Their wordsThe cooling systems in most data centers are energy hogs and contribute no direct value.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 3rd of 9 in this piece

  7. Our readingAir cooling has run out of headroom for AI racks, so liquid cooling is now a requirement rather than an upgrade.

    Their wordsAI servers bring new challenges because many require liquid cooling.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 4th of 9 in this piece

  9. Our readingAn off-grid data centre can delete its uninterruptible power supplies entirely, because the battery bank outside already is one.

    batteries

    Their wordsDeleting the UPSs could knock off ~$750/kW after considering equipment, installation, and square footage reduction.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 5th of 9 in this piece

  11. Our readingA data centre should be split into independent power blocks fed directly at 1500 volts DC, rather than run through one central distribution system.

    Their wordsThe 100-megawatt facility might have ten 10-megawatt blocks served directly by a 1500V DC feeder line without connections to other blocks that would require extra switches and routing.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 6th of 9 in this piece

  13. Our readingBuying spare compute is cheaper than buying backup generators, because the servers cost fifty times what the generator does.

    Their wordsInstalled generators cost ~$800/kW, and the data center capital cost, including servers, is ~$40,000/kW, so adding 1% more makeup compute capacity is money ahead of purchasing generators.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 7th of 9 in this piece

  15. Our readingOff-grid data centres will win the way electric cars did, by redesigning the machine around the new power source instead of swapping the power source in.

    electric vehicles

    Their wordsEfforts to improve efficiency and remove vestigial features pay off handsomely.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 8th of 9 in this piece

  17. Our readingNuclear-powered data centres are this decade's hydrogen car: a zero-emissions story incumbents prefer because it changes the least.

    Their wordsSome efforts, like nuclear-powered data centers, are reminiscent of Toyota's hydrogen push.

    ↗How to Make Off Grid Data Centers Affordableaustinvernon.site 9th of 9 in this piece