Polcom has completed the construction of the Alwernia data center

In 2006, Polcom delivered its first data center, but not much time passed before the second, innovative data processing center was built in Alwernia, located 24 km from Skawina and connected by independent fiber-optic cable to the data center in Skawina. Both facilities, totaling over 12,000 square meters, are located in secure zones on fenced plots covering a total of 6 hectares.

New opportunities thanks to Alwernia data center

The construction of the second data center was aimed at providing even higher quality services for our clients. Thanks to the Alwernia data center, we launched the Redundant Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure (RECI) service, which assures our clients that the computing power we provide has a high degree of security due to synchronous replication. This system allows for almost zero data loss and seamless transfer without any downtime – such infrastructure can certainly meet the expectations of even the most demanding clients. Without the second data center, this would not have been possible to such an extent. A properly built data center acts as a barrier against unwanted intrusions, fires, environmental hazards, and meets the requirements of modern business, such as scalability and speed of operation. Combining the work of two such centers means that if one of them suddenly stops working for any reason, the other will be able to take over its work – says the CEO of the company, Marcin Gwóźdź.

From a technical point of view, such an investment also brings financial benefits to clients. In the Alwernia data center, we have implemented an innovative cooling system – Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) – which, thanks to the possibility of directly cooling servers with water at a higher average temperature, allowed us to minimize the costs of electricity consumption and lowered the PUE coefficient below 1.2.

Innovative DLC system

The DLC system is based on a paradoxical belief that nothing cools as effectively as warm water – as it turns out, there is a lot of truth to it. The process involves directly dissipating heat generated by electronic devices in our data center through a liquid, allowing it to have a higher average temperature. Interestingly, turbo core units responsible for producing the cooling effect in the entire process are equipped with magnetic bearings, which create a “levitation” effect during operation, significantly reducing friction and ultimately reducing the amount of energy consumed by the units.

Original design

The Alwernia data center is not only a combination of innovative solutions, but also entirely new devices designed and implemented by Polcom engineers. Among them is a system for receiving heat energy from fluids transported by pipelines – an invention that allows for passive acquisition of heat energy from water flowing in pipes, reducing energy consumption for water heating by almost 10%. The Alwernia data center also implements a Building Management System, responsible for monitoring all processes in the data processing center.