Avnet Integrated, Schneider Electric and Iceotope Deliver the Industry’s First Commercially Available HPC Micro Data Center Solution Cooled by Integrated Chassis-Level Immersion

Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT), Schneider Electric and Iceotope have been joined by Lenovo to deploy its Lenovo ThinkSystem SR670 servers in a highly scalable, GPU-rich, liquid-cooled micro data center solution. Sealed at the chassis level, the new solution enables artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads to be deployed in close proximity to the location of data generation and use regardless of how harsh the environment is.

Avnet is providing the integration services for the solution on behalf of Schneider Electric and Iceotope to help them deploy globally to a wide range of customers. The unique capabilities and technologies Avnet brings to the partnership include:

• Conversion of the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR670 to liquid cooling and integration of Schneider Electric’s APC NetShelter liquid-cooled enclosure system
• Software development to deliver Out of Band Management (OOBM) capability. Through Witekio, an Avnet company, we are working with Iceotope to offer a RedFish-compliant solution that is enabled by Avnet’s MaaxBoard IoT single board computer
• A full portfolio of lifecycle services such as warranty support, field installation and maintenance, advance exchange, repair/refurbishment, and IT asset disposition and value recovery

The groundbreaking solution is based on Iceotope’s Ku:l 2 liquid-cooled chassis which provides unique value by completely isolating the critical IT from the environment with a perfectly sealed and resilient enclosure. This enables secure and tamper-proof computing, storage and networking, providing an extra level of physical and I/O connective security in the most extreme locations and climatic conditions. With Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT solution, remote monitoring and management is taken to a new level enabling proactive insights on critical assets that impact the health and availability of IT environments, so infrastructure performance is optimized and risk is minimized.

“Liquid cooled servers that are cost effectively deployed at scale will revolutionize the server industry as well as computing in general by cutting energy usage, noise and space requirements,” said Scott MacDonald, president, Avnet Integrated. “As a leader in industrial solutions, Avnet Integrated is uniquely positioned to simplify the deployment of this solution for our customers in collaboration with Schneider Electric, Iceotope and Lenovo. Our ability to solve complex problems on a global scale for large customers while closely collaborating with all partners is what differentiates us as an advanced systems integrator,” MacDonald said.

David Craig, CEO Iceotope commented, “The infrastructure to provision edge expansion will be installed where space provides, outside traditional data centres – we call this the Fluid Edge. Iceotope is dedicated to ensuring the durability, reliability, efficiency and long-term viability of Fluid Edge facilities, where air cooled approaches have a limited future. Partnering with Lenovo to bring the Ku:l Micro DC to life has accelerated our capability to provide a proven and warranty-backed, chassis-level immersion cooled HPC design solution to this expanding market.”

Steven Carlini, VP Innovation and Data Center, Schneider Electric stated: “This integrated, immersion cooled solution brings highly intensive and efficient edge computing capabilities that “drop into” applications from the edge to large scale HPCs. The ability to bring these ready-to-deploy liquid cooled solutions to market proves the strength of the Avnet, Schneider Electric and Iceotope partnership.”

Kamran Amini, Vice President and General Manager of Server, Storage and Software Defined Infrastructure, Lenovo Data Center Group stated: “The demands of today’s high performance IT are driving power and cooling requirements beyond the typical air-cooled data center.  Liquid cooling is far more efficient at heat transfer and removal than air, allowing customers around the globe to achieve extreme performance within their current data center footprint.  As a pioneer in advanced cooling, Lenovo extends our leadership capability with deployment-ready solutions based on Iceotope’s KU:l chassis-level immersion cooling technologies in partnership with Schneider Electric and Avnet Integrated.”  

Samir Bounab, Witekio CRO said: “We are proud to support Iceotope in delivering OOBM capabilities with our ability to leverage the Avnet Maaxboard. Our team brings software expertise; from system architecture and app development to software security aspects including secure boot and certificate configuration.”

For more information on the solution, please visit: https://insidehpc.com/2020/11/iceotope-and-lenovo-partner-for-edge-hpc//. Additional information can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/posts/iceotope_fluidedge-edgecomputing-hpc-activity-6732698089552961536-tKbe and http://www.fluidedge.tech/

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About Iceotope

Iceotope’s chassis-level liquid cooling solutions – with precision delivery technologies – are engineered to cool the whole IT stack, in every use case, from the Cloud to the Edge. By removing the need for fans and air-cooling infrastructure, Iceotope’s technologies operate in near silence — bringing game-changing reduction in energy and water consumption, and significant cost reductions in the design, build and operation of data centres.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries.

We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive, and Empowered values.

About Witekio, #AnAvnetCompany

For more than 18 years, we have helped high-tech makers build great software. This equates to 2,500 device projects delivered on 3 continents (EMEA, North America, Asia). As a world class software and system expert, Witekio supports your projects from the hardware to the cloud. We bring our added-value into UX, architecture, design, expertise and development of all software layers for any embedded or IoT device. 

About Avnet Integrated

Avnet Integrated is the solutions and integration arm of Avnet Inc. As leaders in embedded computing design and manufacturing, Avnet Integrated offers customers a complete range of embedded solutions from semi-finished board products to full design projects including software and systems. With its comprehensive line card, specialized product labs and system integration services, Avnet Integrated provides the right combination of products, expertise and service to help customers reduce time to market and boost their competitive advantage.

The group also provides customers with finished or customized products and training, system integration and ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) services through its European technical centers and partners. Avnet Integrated is a business unit of Avnet (NASDAQ: AVT) with European headquarters in Belgium (Avnet Europe Comm VA) and Germany (MSC Technologies GmbH). For more information, visit www.avnet.com/integrated

About Avnet

Avnet is a global technology solutions provider with an extensive ecosystem delivering design, product, marketing and supply chain expertise for customers at every stage of the product lifecycle. We transform ideas into intelligent solutions, reducing the time, cost and complexities of bringing products to market. For nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn more about Avnet at www.avnet.com