Modular makes sense for Pirbright's Institute's research future

Schneider Electric has deployed a new modular data centre at The Pirbright Institute, enabling it to stay abreast of new technological advancements, including artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), and fast track its vital scientific and viral research programmes.

Schneider Electric, together with its EcoXpert Partners, Advanced Power Technology (APT), developed a new containerised data centre to meet the Institute’s requirement for a scalable, resilient, flexible, and energy efficient infrastructure that would ensure the highest levels of availability and continuity.

Global Centre of Excellence

The Pirbright Institute is at the forefront of global viral research, operating as one of the UK's leading virus diagnostics and surveillance centres. Pirbright is a world-leading centre of excellence for research into the control and surveillance of virus diseases of farm animals, and viruses that spread from animals to humans.

The Institute has undergone significant digital transformation, and as part of that process, has leveraged an advanced data centre solution from APT and Schneider Electric to enable new levels of scientific collaboration, while adhering to strict data sovereignty, storage, resiliency, and security standards.

Containerised Data Centre Solution

Due to the mission-critical nature of its research, and the need to provide continuity of service during any modernisation projects, the Institute had to identify a new strategy to build out its infrastructure to support future technological requirements for HPC and AI.

First seeking a strategy to modernise its legacy IT and comms rooms and deploy them away from its existing buildings, it began to explore the benefits of a containerised data centre and engaged with APT to design and specify its new critical infrastructure system.

APT quickly identified a need for what became known as the CDC – the Institute’s new ‘Containerised Data Centre’. Using key components from Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centres solutions portfolio, including its EcoStruxure Row Data Center system, APC NetShelter racks, InRow cooling, Symmetra Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), APC NetBotz environmental monitoring, APT was able to pre-configure its design, enabling the solution to be pre-tested off-site for faster deployment.

The project was delivered in three phases and within a strict timeline of 12-weeks, ensuring minimal impact on the Institute’s business and critical applications. The first required detailed site preparation and connection of utilities, with new foundations laid for the data centre modules.

The second required the data centre to be built, pre-configured and pre-integrated off-site, along with the migration of the existing applications and IT systems, which were to be retained by the Institute. The third and final phase was deployment, and with tight physical access, the containerised modules were delivered to site via low-loader and craned into position in June 2023.

By the end of July 2023, the project was completed and commissioned ahead of schedule. The new data centre delivers 80kW of scalable, optimised and future-proofed capacity in an N+1 configuration, allowing the Institute to increase the resiliency and availability of its critical infrastructure systems.

“The unique set of challenges we encountered at The Pirbright Institute required a tailor-made data centre solution, meeting its requirements for fast deployment, increased security, availability and efficiency,” said John Thompson, managing director of APT. “The new containerised data centre will provide a long-term, flexible, collaborative and scalable solution, which enables its end-users to deliver the highest standards of research, while meeting future demands for security and sustainability.”

Secure, Sustainable, Scalable

With the containerised data centre at its core, Pirbright’s infrastructure is future-proofed for new evolutions in high-tech research equipment such as sequencers, and diamond-light processes for virus analysis that can generate data sets of 700GB each. It also allows them to leverage new advancements in HPC, AI and GPU-powered computing, allowing them to identify breakthroughs in viral research at a far faster rate.

Security is paramount, and the data centre includes complete monitoring and management systems, delivered via Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT Expert data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) software. This is supported by Netbotz environmental monitoring, with over 60 data parameters measured and managed, including temperature, humidity, leak detection, and multiple cameras providing real-time information via one complete platform. Heavy-duty enclosures are also utilised outside the facility to prevent physical intrusion, and the design has enabled Pirbright to extend the life cycle of the data centre, delivering a 50-year life span.

“Cyber and physical security is at the heart of the Institute’s work, and it is essential that we have continuous and proactive protection against phishing, malware, ransomware, and more. In fact, security is one of the biggest drivers we have, after the science,” said Tim Haywood, IT infrastructure manager at The Pirbright Institute. “The investments we’ve made in EcoStruxure DCIM and data centre physical security have paid dividends - allowing us to leverage automation and remote monitoring to help protect against a host of threats.”

Provisioning for the Future

The new data centre now provides a dedicated, world-class IT function that allows Pirbright to compete for ground-breaking research projects on a global basis. Its scalable, modular architecture also provides the highest levels of availability, resiliency and efficiency.

The data centre has also allowed The Pirbright Institute to bring its IT infrastructure in line with its development master plans, ensuring it retains its place as the UK’s foremost centre of excellence in research and surveillance of viral diseases. Future plans include new laboratories, scientific and administrative facilities, three new centres of computing, and a control facility.

Furthermore, it has the flexibility and capacity to support scientists and researchers as they leverage state-of-the-art laboratories, and the specialised requirements of high-tech virology, HPC, and the vast data it produces – enabling it to further fast-track its knowledge and contributions to global health and welfare for animals with a solid IT foundation on which to develop ground-breaking research for decades to come.

“The new data centre at Pirbright exemplifies the fundamental role these advanced computing systems play in life science research, and truly demonstrates why data centres have been designated critical national infrastructure,” said Mark Yeeles, Vice President, Secure Power division, Schneider Electric UK and Ireland. “It also reinforces the role of digital infrastructure as a critical fourth utility, and through these new, world-class IT facilities, the Institute has developed a secure, scalable and dedicated platform to support the vital work of its researchers now, and in the future.”