Power Loft @ Innovation Northern Virginia datacenter operational

Jeff Paschke

Power Loft disclosed that the work on its first datacenter is complete and the first phase is operational. At full buildout, the facility offers 225,000 gross square feet, 2 pods of approximately 50,000 net square feet and power densities to support 300 watts per square foot with a final capacity of 30 critical (net) MW for IT/raised floor load.

Power Loft indicated that the first stage is 12,500 square feet, with roughly 7,000 square feet initially occupied. In terms of power, the first stage has capacity to go up to 2MW of critical load with approximately 1MW taken by the first tenant. Power Loft declined to state the identity of its anchor tenant, generically referring to an international information technology consulting and outsourcing company, but T1R understands from our industry sources that Capgemini is the tenant. Of particular interest about the facility itself is its operational efficiency, which at full buildout is expected to achieve an annualized average PUE of 1.28 – pretty impressive for northern Virginia. Obviously, this is a design/engineered figure, as the datacenter hasn't been operating for a year yet and isn't anywhere close to fully populated, although considering it is EYP designed, T1R expects it'll probably get pretty close, assuming proper maintenance and operational practices are followed (e.g., fully leveraging outside air capabilities). Operational efficiency will take a little bit of a hit for the first portions of the datacenter due to a decision by Power Loft to use one 1800-ton chiller and three 600-ton DX units rather than two full 1,800-ton chillers. Power Loft shared that this would be temporary until around the 4.5 critical MW point, after which the full chilled water system will kick in. Power Loft indicated this was for scalability and upfront efficiency (two 1800-ton chillers is a little overkill for around 1MW of critical load for the first tenant as 1800 tons equates to roughly 6MW). Power Loft also noted the responsiveness of DX units compared with large chiller plants as an added benefit. Power Loft shared that commissioning of the datacenter, performed by X-nth, is complete and that only one hiccup occurred (despite rumors of fires and explosions, neither of which actually occurred). During testing, a single-phase utility loss was simulated and incoming utility 34.5kV surge arrestors blew. Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC), the local utility, concluded this was a result of large capacitance in the conductors and what it referred to as ferroresonance – but in layman's terms, latent potential built up in the cable insulation and caused the surge arrestors to blow (that's what surge arrestors are supposed to do). Power Loft shared that various changes were made on NOVEC's gear (which is where the failure occurred) to prevent repeat occurrence, the test was re-performed, and it tested satisfactorily. T1R should mention this isn't a bad thing – this is exactly what commissioning is for and this is the time to uncover these types of gremlins. Better to reveal these problems in the beginning than to have them show themselves later. T1R believes that more datacenter owners and operators should include exhaustive commissioning in the construction process, and those shopping for datacenter space should, as part of due diligence and provider evaluation, ask to see commissioning records and testing procedures.

T1R take

T1R is glad to finally see Power Loft up and running and is interested to see its progress in the coming year. Being a new company in a competitive market (northern Virginia) competing against those of the likes of DuPont Fabros and Digital Realty Trust, as well as its unconventional design, has made getting that anchor tenant even more difficult than it is normally for even established players filling the first space in a new building. The first hurdle is past, however, and the anchor tenant is in, so T1R expects that Power Loft will see increased interest in its datacenter offerings. It is likely to still face challenges as it is not located deep in the heart of the fiber-rich Ashburn area, though this is likely to appeal to government entities (it has worked out pretty well for Terremark in Culpeper, Virginia, which is roughly 70 miles southwest of Washington DC).

T1R also expects that Power Loft's design and its use of air-side economization is likely to appeal to those with corporate green initiatives and any enterprise interested in efficient datacenter operations. Power Loft expects to receive LEED Silver and is pushing for LEED Gold (new construction). Additionally, Power Loft's receipt of the Northern Virginia Technology Council's Green Award (small company category) also makes it even more high profile for government institutions.