TMGcore introduces a compact, hyper-dense data center design optimized for compute-intensive AI and HPC workloads.

TMGcore, a Plano, Texas-based startup, introduced its line of self-contained, energy-efficient, modular data center systems called OTTO at the SC19 conference in Denver in November. The company unveiled four models of the OTTO data center platform, the largest of which is about the size of a Chevy Suburban and can pack 600kW of compute power within a footprint of 160 square feet. According to TMGcore COO Taylor Monnig, the plug-and-play design can pack 1MW of data center inside 320 square feet. "It's a massive reduction in the size of data centers," Monnig told DCK. "A typical one-megawatt data center is 6,000 to 8,000 feet, but we can do it in 320 square feet."

The OTTO systems use two-phase liquid immersion cooling technology, where liquid coolant turns to vapor, cooling computing hardware in the process. The immersion-cooling technology helps cut operational costs by 80 percent, according to Monnig. The company claims its OTTO systems' average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is 1.03. "We are not using water or air conditioners. We deliver power extremely efficiently," Monnig said. TMGcore is targeting the HPC, AI, and machine learning hardware markets, competing with both established players including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell EMC, IBM, Lenovo, Atos, and Inspur, as well as other liquid-cooling companies such as GRC (formerly Green Revolution Cooling), Asetek, and CoolIT Systems.

Gartner analyst Alan Priestley said TMGcore's technology was an interesting concept that could attract academia or industry customers needing purpose-built data centers for their HPC needs. In the HPC market, customers are more willing to explore and purchase new innovations from smaller companies or start-ups like TMGcore than in the enterprise market. "Data center cooling is a big problem, and when you put GPUs in a data center, it's massively dense configurations that create a lot of heat. So there may be potential for this type of technology," Priestley said.

TMGcore spent the past two years developing OTTO, and in 2018 it built a 150,000-square foot cryptocurrency mining data center in Texas to generate extra income and perfect the technology. "We put our money where our mouths are and bought a data center and deployed our technology to truly understand how to operate at commercial scale," Monnig said. "Everyone else goes small and builds big. We built big and then went down so that we could understand the hardest hurdles we have to jump through – and the rest is a lot easier." Three of the four OTTO models, including the large 600kW version, use robotics to automatically swap servers, which simplifies management and reduces the need for IT staff. All OTTO models feature lights-out operations, including internal power distribution and built-in networking, so no cables are needed.

TMGcore sells its own servers for the OTTO system and has partnered with Dell EMC, which is making a version of its PowerEdge C4140 server compatible with the OTTO system. The OTTO modular data centers also support other vendors' servers, though TMGcore engineers would need to remove the fans and make modifications related to power and networking. "We are happy to work with customers to get their equipment in," Monnig said. The company is currently working on a storage solution and expects to have news on it in the coming months. TMGcore previously announced partnerships with Vertiv to develop the OTTO systems and with Jabil to manufacture them.