Maximum performance for mainframes: ENGIE Deutschland receives general contractor order from DKRZ

Cologne, March 17, 2021 - Providing computing time, storage and archive capacity as well as corresponding support for the execution of model and simulation calculations for climate and earth system research – these are the main tasks of the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ). For this purpose, the world's leading high-performance computer center specializing in climate simulations operates a supercomputer of the highest performance class at the Hamburg site. The center is currently being completely modernized and expanded, so that the next generation of computers can be commissioned in the summer of this year and replace the current system. The DKRZ relies on the expertise of ENGIE Deutschland for the construction work and has commissioned the specialist for technology, energy and service with the planning and implementation of the project. For ENGIE Deutschland and the DKRZ, it is the continuation of a successful partnership: As early as 2015, the ENGIE experts were responsible for the expansion of the data center at that time – to the full satisfaction of the customer.

ENGIE as general contractor delivers everything from a single source

In the current project, ENGIE Deutschland acts as general contractor (GU) and in this function provides all construction services for the DKRZ – from cooling and cooling water to the high-voltage power systems and the complete MSR technology including energy monitoring, to interior installation and steel construction. The ENGIE team is also responsible for the implementation planning and the preparation of the required permits in order to ensure a speedy and trouble-free process. The building project not only has a tight time frame, but also presents demanding technical challenges: The next, fourth generation of ultra-high-performance computers (HLRE-4) entails new requirements in terms of space requirements, performance and cooling technology compared to previous systems. For example, up to 430 m3/h of cooling medium must be provided via a pipe connection. ENGIE Deutschland carries out the necessary and all other construction works, including the installation and commissioning of the corresponding systems. therefore, the existing and the new high-performance computer are operated in parallel for several months. The ENGIE specialists focus on high energy efficiency: After implementation of the conversions and commissioning of the HLRE-4, the PUE (Power Usage Efficiency) value of the data center will be 1.15.

BIM deployment guarantees effectiveness

ENGIE Deutschland received the contract from the DKRZ in January 2021 on the basis of a BIM (Building Information Modeling)-based tender. The price and performance, including the planning and execution competence, were included in the evaluation. The BIM organization is managed entirely by the ENGIE-BIM manager – including the creation of appointment and cost models ("4-D and 5-D").