Modular Connectors Help Data Centers Optimize Energy Efficiency

By Natesh Kannan Gopalakrishnan | September 21, 2021

Modular connectors are increasingly popular in data center architectures, where engineers are looking for ways to lower server costs, reduce cooling costs, and optimize power to keep up with the rising data demands of the digital age. 

Google data center The Dalles, Oregon

A massive Google data center in The Dalles, Oregon. (Image courtesy of Tony Webster per CC BY 2.0; cropped for publication.)

Data centers are surging. So are their energy needs. One large data facility can consume as much electricity as a city of a million people. Data centers in the U.S. alone use an estimated 90 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, and some analysts predict that data centers will soon be one of the biggest energy consumers on the planet, surpassing entire nations. To put it mildly, data centers are gluttons for power. Humanity’s massive demand for digital information is accommodated by countless racks of tightly packed equipment, so even small design improvements in data center infrastructure can make a big impact on energy use and cost savings. Data center managers are always looking to squeeze the last bit of performance out of their architecture, even down to the connector level.

Connector selections, multiplied across vast data center architectures, can make a measurable difference in energy use. They also must work reliably in these demanding environments. Identifying which solution will best meet the required specifications can be a challenge, though, as there are huge variations in connector design. Design engineers have to precisely determine which connector has the right size and power combination for the architecture at hand, and it’s possible that the exact combination of optimal characteristics might not even be available. In these cases, designers often have to work with a connector manufacturer to design and create a custom connector, which can be costly. Modular connectors, however, can enable cost-effective customization and meet rigorous data center performance demands.

Modular Connectors Enable Cost-Effective Customization 

Many major connector manufacturers have identified the growing need for custom data center solutions as an issue. Modular connectors allow customers to construct customized designs using a range of existing standard connector components, making it both easy and affordable to specify connectors with the exact features required for a given system.

Positronic Scorpion Series modular connectors

Scorpion Series modular connectors from Positronic allow designers to create nearly a million different configurations by combining configurable components.

Manufacturers have taken several different paths to developing modular connector lines. The simplest approach follows a building-block concept. In this case, manufacturers offer a range of individual modules that perform different functions. Customers purchase the various modules that suit their needs, arrange them in an order that suits the application, and secure them within a frame to create a complete connector. Although it’s pretty straightforward, there are some disadvantages to this concept. For instance, customers must order each of the connector components individually, which adds inventory and record-keeping complexity. Also, modules must be assembled correctly to ensure the optimal mechanical strength. However, the flexibility provided by the building block approach to modularity means that customers can quickly and easily reconfigure their connector by simply taking it apart and adding, subtracting, or replacing modules.

At the other end of the modular connectivity scale is the approach where the mold tool itself is modular. In this case, customers select the modules they need, manufacturers create the mold tool from a number of standard dies arranged according to the customer’s design, and a monolithic injection molding process is used to create a single-piece plastic connector especially designed for the application at hand. Since the bodies of these connectors are comprised of a single piece rather than various modules nestled within a frame, customers can order them using a single part number. This approach offers a bit less flexibility since the connectors aren’t reconfigurable, but it essentially offers custom connectors without the custom price tag, which can be a huge advantage that extends well beyond single part numbers. Unlike modular connectors assembled from several components, single-piece modular constructions are very robust, which is of paramount importance in high-reliability data center applications.

Superior Electrical Performance Starts at the Contact

As data center architectures continue to evolve, power supplies are being designed to deliver ever-higher performance. Linear current density has become a very important aspect of data center and power supply designs. Linear current density is a method used to describe how much power a connector can deliver and is directly affected by the type of contacts they employ.

Stamped and formed contacts have been popular for decades because they’re easy to manufacture in vast quantities. They are versatile and have helped make mass-produced electronics affordable. Blade connectors, for instance, are a solid choice for many applications due to their unique combination of low-cost constructions and reasonable electrical characteristics. However, blade connectors and other stamped contact solutions aren’t electrically or mechanically well-suited for data center environments and performance requirements. In demanding applications like these, designers generally turn to the reliability of machined contacts.

Machined Contacts and High Conductivity

Machined contacts are manufactured on automatic lathes from a solid piece of metal and offer several advantages when compared to the construction of stamped and formed contacts. Mechanically, the solid body of a machined contact is stronger and more capable of withstanding repeated mating cycles without sacrificing contact integrity. Machined contacts also deliver superior electrical performance. Since they are solid, they have a considerably greater cross-sectional area (CSA) than similarly sized stamped contacts, which translates into much lower contact resistance and, in turn, higher current ratings. They can also be manufactured with high-conductivity copper alloys to further reduce contact resistance and improve electrical performance.

Size 12 machined contacts vs blade contacts table

The diagrams and table pictured here illustrate the size, shape, density, and performance differences between a connector equipped with size 12 machined contacts made from a high-conductivity alloy and a traditional power connector equipped with stamped blade-type power contacts.

Although individual machined contacts are much smaller than blade contacts, the ability to fit more of them into the same size connector can result in more than twice the total power capacity. In the example illustrated above, the linear current density for the machined contacts is nearly 237A/in2 and just 101A/in2 for the blade contacts. Plus, when combined with the flexibility of modular connector constructions, smaller machined contacts can provide customers with much greater control over the size and shape of their connector and allow them to specify the exact contact arrangement they require, eliminating wasted space and unused contacts and making it easier to achieve the precise linear current density required for an application.

Diagram of linear current density of a modular Positronic Scorpion connector This diagram illustrates the linear current density of a modular Positronic Scorpion connector equipped with machined contacts.This diagram illustrates the linear current density of a modular Positronic Scorpion connector equipped with machined contacts.

This diagram illustrates the linear current density of a modular Positronic Scorpion connector equipped with machined contacts.

Data Centers Are Adopting Modular Connectors

Modular connectors make it easy, efficient, and economical to achieve application-specific sizes, shapes, and performance characteristics ranging from durability and adaptability to linear current density and are especially powerful when equipped with high-conductivity machined contacts. They are increasingly popular in data center architectures, where engineers are continuously looking for ways to lower server costs, reduce cooling costs, and optimize power to keep up with the rising data demands of the digital age. In fact, collaborative data center communities, such the Open Compute Project (OCP) and Open19, are adopting modular connectors to efficiently support the growing demands on compute infrastructure.

For more information, visit Positronic online.

Like this article? Check out our other High-Speed, Data Centers, and Power articles, our Datacom/Telecom Market Page, and our 2021 Article Archives.

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Natesh Kannan Gopalakrishnan
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