CGG’s existing HPC facility in Redhill had reached its maximum capacity, so a new facility was required to support future business growth, which aligned with the existing location’s lease break. A new bespoke HPC hub was established, that delivered an initial 5MW, 100 petaflop capacity, that was scaleable to 10MW, with a potential long-term expansion to 20MW.
Sustainability was a key commitment for CGG from the outset, so a number of in-depth studies were undertaken to compare both immersion cooling technology and rear door cooling units, along with opportunities for free cooling using dry air coolers or free cooling chillers. The use of proprietary immersion cooling technology to deliver enhanced Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), coupled with the use of 100% renewable energy, were selected to deliver on CGG’s sustainability requirements.
The project was delivered on budget and within CGG’s overall project timescales, and is already operating at near initial capacity with options for expansion being considered.
Core Five Added Value
- Undertook a cost feasibility study at the very outset of our appointment to determine whether the proposed development site would meet the client’s requirements.
- Provided high level cost advice (based on limited information) to modify the Developer’s Base Build Specification to support the client’s HoTs commercial discussions.
- Investigated new technology such as oil immersion cooling which through our experience of working on major complex projects, we were able to reach out to the supply-chain to understand very quickly how this technology has been adopted and the costs involved.
