AI-Ready Modular Data Center Slashes Deployment Time

A traditional data center protects the expensive hardware inside it with a “shell” constructed from steel and concrete. Constructing a data center’s shell is inexpensive compared to the cost of the hardware and infrastructure inside it, but it’s not trivial. It takes time for engineers to consider potential sites, apply for permits, and coordinate with construction contractors.

That’s a problem for those looking to quickly deploy AI hardware, which has led companies like Duos Edge AI and LG CNS to respond with a more modular approach. They use pre-fabricated, self-contained boxes that can be deployed in months instead of years. The boxes can operate alone or in tandem with others, providing the option to add more if required.

“I just came back from Nvidia’s GTC, and a lot of [companies] are sitting on their deployment because their data centers aren’t ready, or they can’t find the space,” said Doug Recker, CEO of Duos Edge AI. “We see the demand there, and we can deploy faster.”

GPUs shipped straight to you

Duos Edge AI’s modular compute pods are 55 feet long and 12.5 feet wide. Though they look similar to a shipping container, they’re actually a bit larger and designed primarily for transportation by truck. Each compute pod contains racks of GPUs much like those used in other data centers. Duos recently entered a deal with AI infrastructure company Hydra Host to deploy four pods with 576 GPUs per pod. That’s a total of 2,304 GPUs, with the option to later double the deployment to 4,608 GPUs.

Modular data centers aren’t new for Duos; the company previously deployed edge data centers for rural customers, such as the Amarillo, Texas school district. However, the pods for the Hydra Host deployment will be upgraded to handle more intense AI workloads. They’ll contain more racks, draw more power, and use liquid cooling to keep the GPUs running efficiently.

Across the Pacific, Korean technology giant LG is taking a similar approach. The company’s CNS subsidiary, which provides IT infrastructure and services, has announced the AI Modular Data Center which, like the Duos unit, contains racks of GPUs and supporting hardware in a pre-fabricated enclosure.

Also like Duos’ deployment, LG’s AI Modular Data Center contains 576 Nvidia GPUs with the option to scale up in the future. “We are currently developing an expanded version that can support more than 4,600 GPUs within a single unit, with a service launch planned within this year,” said Heon Hyeock Cho, vice president and head of the datacenter business unit at LG CNS. LG’s first Modular Data Center will roll out in the South Korean port city of Busan, where it could deploy up to 50 units.

LG and Duos are not alone. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Vertiv, and Schneider Electric now have modular data centers available or in development. A report from market research firm Grand View Research estimates that the market for modular data centers could more than double by…