Ensuring Seismic Resilience: The ICT Designer’s Role in Data Center Design for Earthquake-Prone Regions

In regions prone to earthquakes, it’s crucial to design data centers with seismic resilience in mind to mitigate the risk of damage or downtime during seismic events. ICT designers play a vital role in this process by incorporating seismic considerations into the design of the data center infrastructure.

The role of ICT designers in data center design for earthquake-prone regions involves several key aspects:

Understanding Seismic Hazards

ICT designers need to have a thorough understanding of the seismic hazards specific to the region where the data center will be located. This includes knowledge of historical seismic activity, ground shaking characteristics, and local building codes and regulations related to seismic design.

Seismic Design Criteria

ICT designers must incorporate appropriate seismic design criteria into the overall design of the data center. This may include selecting seismic-resistant building materials, designing structural systems capable of withstanding seismic forces, and implementing seismic isolation or dampening techniques to reduce the impact of ground motion on critical infrastructure.

Equipment Selection

ICT designers need to specify equipment and components that are designed and tested to withstand seismic forces. This includes racks, cabinets, servers, networking equipment, and power distribution systems that are certified for seismic applications and compliant with standards like NEBS GR-63-CORE or equivalent.

Layout and Configuration

ICT designers must carefully plan the layout and configuration of equipment within the data center to optimize seismic resilience. This may involve distributing heavy equipment evenly throughout the facility, anchoring racks and cabinets securely to the floor, and ensuring proper bracing and support structures are in place to prevent tipping or displacement during an earthquake.

Collaboration with Structural Engineers

ICT designers collaborate closely with structural engineers to ensure that the data center’s structural systems are designed to withstand seismic forces. This includes coordinating the placement of equipment with structural elements, integrating seismic bracing systems into the overall design, and verifying compliance with seismic safety standards and regulations.

Seismic resilience isn’t just about protecting hardware—it’s about safeguarding uptime, data integrity, and business continuity. Through thoughtful planning and collaboration, ICT designers ensure data centers in seismic zones remain robust, responsive, and reliable.