Data centre automation: Solving the energy paradox
AS artificial intelligence workloads push data centres toward an unprecedented energy crisis, a German automation specialist is tackling the industry’s most pressing challenge. While tech giants scramble to secure power contracts, Beckhoff Automation is taking a different approach: treating data centres not as technology problems, but as buildings that need intelligent control.
The numbers are sobering. Global data centre capacity is expected to grow from 59 GW in 2025 to 122 GW by 2030, with estimates suggesting data centres could consume 8% of the world’s electricity by decade’s end. For operators, this means spiralling energy costs, reluctant grid operators, and intensifying regulatory scrutiny.
The hidden culprit
While processors grab headlines, cooling and power systems quietly consume nearly half of a data centre’s energy budget. Computing resources account for roughly 40% of consumption, while cooling systems take another 38-40%. Yet unlike IT equipment, building systems have remained relatively unsophisticated.
This is where Beckhoff’s building automation heritage becomes relevant. The company has spent decades perfecting PC-based control systems for factories. Now they’re applying that expertise to data centres, using industrial PCs running their TwinCAT software to integrate HVAC, energy monitoring, and remote maintenance on a single platform.
The system tracks power quality, detects voltage fluctuations before equipment failures occur, and optimises cooling based on real-time server loads. This integration reveals correlations invisible in siloed systems – like how temperature increases in one zone ripple through cooling loads elsewhere.
Intelligence and speed
At the heart of the system is EtherCAT, a high-speed industrial communication protocol that Beckhoff developed and opened to the industry in 2003. With cycle times under one millisecond, it enables real-time responsiveness. More than 7,000 companies worldwide have adopted the standard, creating a vast ecosystem of compatible sensors and actuators.
Beckhoff’s modular I/O system can monitor individual racks or even servers, with energy measurement terminals tracking power at the circuit level. The TwinCAT Building Automation software includes pre-built function blocks for common HVAC tasks – summer night cooling, demand-based ventilation, and time scheduling – reducing implementation time dramatically.
Critically, the platform is open, supporting standard protocols like BACnet, Modbus, and OPC-UA. This allows integration with existing systems from any vendor, giving operators flexibility as needs evolve.
Built for resilience
For mission-critical facilities, Beckhoff offers controller redundancy: two industrial PCs run identical programs simultaneously with automatic failover. The system continuously synchronises data between controllers, ensuring no information loss during switches. For facilities where seconds of downtime cost thousands, this provides essential insurance.
The regulatory imperative
Germany has mandated 100% renewable energy use for data centres from 2027, requiring new facilities to achieve a Power Use Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2. Other jurisdictions are following suit. Efficiency is shifting from optional to mandatory.
Beckhoff’s continuous monitoring enables real-time optimisation for compliance. By tracking PUE, Water Usage Effectiveness, and Carbon Usage Effectiveness continuously, operators spot deviations immediately. The system automatically adjusts cooling strategies based on outside air temperature, occupancy, and workload predictions.
Why now?
As facilities adopt liquid cooling, edge computing, and distributed architectures, orchestrating these systems grows exponentially complex. Beckhoff is essentially asking: what if we managed data centres like advanced manufacturing facilities?
The modular approach allows operators to start with monitoring and add control capabilities incrementally. The same platform scales from edge micro data centres to hyperscale facilities. And because it’s built on standard industrial PCs, operators avoid proprietary vendor lock-in.
For data centre operators facing pressure from regulators, utilities, and shareholders, the message is clear: the future of efficiency isn’t just about better chips or advanced cooling. It’s about treating facilities as the complex, integrated systems they are—and controlling them with appropriate sophistication.
Beckhoff Automation, headquartered in Germany, specialises in PC-based control systems, I/O technologies, and automation software for industrial and building applications.
