Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the introduction of new data center components aimed at supporting the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and meeting the growing demands of its global customer base. These cutting-edge components incorporate advancements in power, cooling, and hardware design, ensuring AWS’s infrastructure remains energy-efficient while fostering continued customer innovation.
The new capabilities, set to be deployed across AWS’s global data centers, mark a significant step forward in increasing energy efficiency and offering greater flexibility for emerging workloads. Many of these components have already been integrated into AWS’s existing infrastructure, signaling the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and performance.
Modular designs for AI and energy efficiency
AWS’s data centers are known for their ability to adapt to evolving needs, and these new upgrades are no exception. One of the most exciting developments is the modular design, which allows for retrofitting existing data centers with liquid cooling and improved energy efficiency features. This approach will help power the increasing demand from generative AI applications while lowering AWS’s carbon footprint.
Key Innovations for AWS data centers
Simplified Electrical and Mechanical Design
AWS has streamlined its electrical and mechanical designs to improve reliability and maintainability. These simplifications enhance infrastructure availability to 99.9999%, reducing the number of racks affected by electrical failures by 89%. AWS also optimized energy usage by bringing backup power closer to racks and minimizing the number of fans required for cooling.
Advancements in Cooling, Rack Design, and Control Systems
AWS’s new cooling solutions include liquid cooling for AI servers, which is more efficient for high-density chips. These innovations support AI workloads, such as AWS Trainium2 and NVIDIA GB200 NVL72, and will be implemented seamlessly with air cooling systems. A flexible multimodal cooling design ensures that both traditional workloads and advanced AI models run efficiently at the lowest cost. Additionally, AWS is enhancing power delivery systems to support a 6x increase in rack power density over the next two years, with future plans for further expansion.
Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Gains
As part of its ongoing sustainability efforts, AWS has improved its cooling systems to reduce mechanical energy consumption by 46%, compared to previous designs. These enhancements do not increase water usage, ensuring a more sustainable approach to energy use. AWS has also reduced the embodied carbon in its data center building shells by 35%, compared to the industry average, by using lower-carbon steel and concrete and optimizing the structural design. The company has also begun transitioning to renewable diesel for backup generators, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%.
AWS’s data center upgrades are designed to scale across the company’s global infrastructure, which includes 34 regions, 108 Availability Zones, and AWS Local Zones. Construction on new data centers featuring these innovations is slated to begin in early 2025 in the United States.
With these advancements, AWS is reinforcing its position as a leader in delivering reliable, secure, and energy-efficient infrastructure that supports the growing demand for AI workloads and other emerging technologies. As generative AI usage continues to expand, AWS is committed to ensuring its data centers remain at the forefront of both technological innovation and environmental sustainability.
