September 10, 2026 in News
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University of Melbourne Data Centre
Housed at the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI) and hosted by the University of Melbourne, the IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer installed at the University is a powerful tool for researchers studying life sciences.
A.G. Coombs Projects was engaged to provide a reliable, safe, efficient and low maintenance cooling system, and undertook a mechanical works upgrade of the entire infrastructure supporting the IBM Blue Gene/Q.
The project included the installation of additional chilled water capacity and associated insulated piping, headers, pumps and controls required for optimal operational performance. Chilled water cooling distribution units were installed in the Peak Computing Facility data hall, to cater for the increased heat load – a standard Data Centre computer rack uses an average 5 to 10kW of power, and virtually all this energy is transferred to heat; in extreme density computing, each of the four the IBM Blue Gene/Q racks can use up to 100kW of power.
Integrated commissioning of the new cooling system, including the calibration and close monitoring of the pump operation, was undertaken to guarantee maximum operational efficiency.
