A substation for the LRZ

In order to continue providing science and research with powerful computing resources and supercomputers in the future, the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) needs more energy. In the future, this will also come from the substation that the network operator Bayernwerk, a subsidiary of the utility company EON, is now building in the north of Garching specifically for the requirements of the LRZ. The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony took place on October 6, and the substation is scheduled to go into operation in 2028.

Two transformers will each provide a capacity of 50 megavolt amperes (MVA) to ensure a redundant power supply for the LRZ. In mathematical terms, this corresponds to approximately 10,000 average photovoltaic systems on single-family homes, each with an output of ten kilowatts.

This gives the LRZ greater certainty when planning its next high-performance IT infrastructures: “Simulations of natural phenomena, modeling of climate data, artificial intelligence methods—science relies on increasingly powerful supercomputers and AI machines. Our electricity requirements will increase significantly in the coming years – not even the extremely energy-efficient operation of our data center can prevent that,“ said Prof. Dr. Helmut Reiser, deputy director of the LRZ. ”The new substation creates the conditions for us to operate our IT infrastructures and thus makes our data center fit for the future.”

More information can be found in the press release from Bayernwerk (German only).