10 Questions with Viridien’s UK HPC Hub Team

10 Questions with Viridien’s UK HPC Hub Team

In the dynamic landscape of high-performance computing (HPC), Viridien stands out with its history of innovation and commitment to sustainability. 

Its latest achievement, the UK HPC Hub, is a testament to this vision—a state-of-the-art computing center seamlessly blending cutting-edge technology powered entirely by renewable energy. We had the opportunity to sit down with the talented team behind this groundbreaking project to learn more about their roles, the challenges they faced, and the features that make the UK HPC Hub truly exceptional.

UK HPC HUB - BEGINNINGS

What was the ambition behind the development of Viridien’s UK HPC Hub?

Arunas Vaisvila, Global DC and IT Operations Director: The development of Viridien’s UK HPC Hub was driven by the need for greater computational power and long-term scalability to support Viridien's growing HPC and Cloud solutions business. The new hub is designed for performance efficiency, cost optimization and environmental sustainability. By leveraging modular designs and renewable energy, Viridien aims to reduce operational costs and carbon emissions while ensuring the infrastructure can grow with our future business demands, and those of our clients.

What was your specific contribution to the creation and launch of the HPC Hub?

Arunas: My role was very dynamic and included supporting the design, planning IT requirements, and overseeing implementation, budgets and commissioning – all of this while transitioning from our previous HPC site to this newly built centre of excellence.

Heather Roberts, Logistics Team Leader: I managed the delivery of the equipment and its storage in the fallow space until it was prepared for commissioning.

Rokas Valentinas, Regional HPC Operations Manager: I focused on two areas: capacity planning, which involved determining the type and quantity of IT equipment to install, identifying suitable locations, and assessing power and cooling requirements; and budget tracking, to ensure that project expenditures remained within the allocated budget.

Karen Pelosi, IT Architect: My role was to help define, evaluate and test new equipment for the site. Also, I helped with the implementation by working closely with the IT teams. I was onsite during the initial stages helping setup and connect the equipment.

In building a facility so unique, there must have been specific challenges – What is one that comes to mind, and how did you and the team overcome this challenge?

Arunas: Our HPC site was built during two highly challenging global events: the COVID-19 pandemic and the armed conflict in Europe. Both significantly impacted global supply chains, causing delays and shortages. However, through meticulous planning and proactive collaboration with suppliers, we were able to mitigate these challenges. We closely monitored lead times for each component and pre-ordered materials 1 to 2 years in advance. By doing this, we successfully stayed ahead of potential disruptions. This strategic approach allowed us to maintain our project timeline and ensure a smooth construction process.

Heather: The primary challenge we encountered was the coordination of deliveries through third-party services, particularly when we lacked complete access to the building. In logistics, estimated times of arrival are often unpredictable until the goods have cleared customs. This resulted in several shipment delays. As we were not permitted to operate forklifts on the premises whilst it was under the contractor’s control, we also had to work closely with third-party forklift operators. Communication and flexibility helped to overcome these challenges. 

Rokas: I would say the installation of our immersion cooling. This technology is advanced, and as such is still relatively niche and presents several inherent challenges compared to traditional cooling methods. The successful deployment of this solution requires time, persistence and teamwork.

Karen: The scale and timelines. With AI and HPC driving a quick turnaround of newer, faster technologies, we needed to be thorough in testing yet flexible when deadlines changed. We wanted to make sure we weren’t missing out on relevant newer technologies. Being part of a global team, we have access to a wide range of experience and could test these across time zones. 

What were some of the key milestones during the development of the HPC Hub?

Arunas: Throughout our HPC build project, we achieved numerous significant milestones. For me, the most impactful aspect has been the remarkable team collaboration. Despite the many challenges we faced, we came together as one team, overcoming obstacles by supporting each other and working in sync. This unity was key to our success—no matter the setbacks, we stayed resilient, adapted quickly, and maintained our focus on the common goal. 

Heather: Among the notable milestones was the successful clearance of the fallow space, given the substantial amount of equipment that had been stored there. Additionally, the transfer of the building ownership to Viridien marked another major accomplishment, as it provided us with greater control and eased our work considerably. Witnessing the transformation of the building from an empty shell to its current state has also been a remarkable milestone.

Rokas: One significant milestone for me was when the power was connected to the data centre, bringing it to life. It might sound simple but laying more than 5 miles of high-voltage underground cable from the nearby town and installing on-site transformer pods was a major achievement.

Karen: For me, a significant milestone was connecting to our ISP after many delays. It felt like such a long time, but then started moving forward quickly with a lot of onsite collaboration between groups. I am also reminded that the small things can also feel so significant, like a coffee machine arriving onsite to perhaps boost productivity!

UK HPC HUB – TODAY

What are some things that set the hub apart from other HPC facilities?

Arunas: In a word: Efficiency. The UK HPC Hub was designed from the very beginning to set new benchmarks with oil immersion HPC servers.

Rokas: Our exposed infrastructure is a key differentiator. In traditional data centers, power, cooling, and network communications are usually hidden, which looks neat but complicates maintenance or new equipment installation. We chose to expose everything, saving significant time when access is needed. We’ve prioritized function over style.

Karen: With our decades of experience, we know how to make the best use of resources through optimization and utilization. The hub delivers power efficiency with our adoption of single-phase immersion cooling, which often invokes curiosity and conversations within the industry.

What aspect of the new facility are you most proud of?

Arunas: The integration of advanced technologies. It allows us to showcase our capabilities and  commitment to Viridien’s vision for a better future.

Rokas: I’m most proud of the efficiency. Every aspect of the data centre was designed to minimize waste, whether it’s water or electricity.

Karen: I am proud of its design, which really prioritizes sustainability but manages to incorporate the latest technologies. This really reflects our forward-thinking approach. The people and their adaptability in a very different and new environment also make me extremely proud.

How has the HPC Hub impacted Viridien's overall operations and capabilities so far?

Arunas: We have doubled the amount of Pflops within our first year of operations, compared to our previous HPC site in the UK. This new HPC center enhances opportunity to scale our HPC compute and respond to our business needs immediately, which overall allows Viridien to be agile, innovative and capable of handling complex HPC tasks to drive growth and success for ourselves and for our clients.

What excites you most about working at the new HPC Hub?

Arunas: Every day I come to the office, I am reminded of what we can achieve with our people working as a team to support our business future.

Heather: The aspect that most excites me about working at Viridien’s new HPC Hub is the significant potential for growth, particularly given the expansive, unoccupied warehouse space. I always like looking forward to future developments, which makes it exciting to imagine what the Hub will look like in the years to come. Additionally, it is rewarding to be part of a new community and to make a positive contribution to it. We had a successful volunteering initiative with the local parish council this year, and I am enthusiastic about exploring additional projects to support the new community we have joined.

Rokas: Being at the cutting edge of HPC is incredibly exciting. Implementing new technologies can be challenging, but one thing is certain – it is never dull.

Karen: I would have to say access to cutting-edge technology and the new innovations. No day is ever the same. Working with teams from different backgrounds and understanding their challenges creates an environment where new ideas can come together. 

UK HPC HUB – FUTURE

How do you envision the UK HPC Hub evolving in the years to come?

Arunas: We haven’t stopped our focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Viridien has always put an emphasis on continuous improvement. Once you complete a project or a task, you go back and look at it from a different angle, review where improvements can be made, what works as planned, etc. We will implement the same cycle with our new UK HPC Hub to reach maximum efficiency. 

Heather: I am looking forward to continuing our exploration of more sustainable methods for operating the data center in the future. 

Rokas: Although we’ve built the data center, our work isn’t finished. There are numerous potential improvements for the power and cooling infrastructure, which will further enhance the Hub’s efficiency and compute capacity in the coming years.

Karen: I can see a continued focus on sustainability and greener computing practices, but in the coming years perhaps we will integrate even more advanced technologies like quantum computing.

In what ways do you and the team plan to use the experience and lessons learned from this project to improve or influence future initiatives?

Arunas: During this project, our team strengthened its various technical and interpersonal skills. For me as manager, it was amazing to see how people quickly matured into their roles during this challenging project. The project has shaped some great technical people who’ve become senior engineers and architects, and we have nurtured some strong leaders. Additionally, we have performed an in-depth review of all our lessons learned. All-in-all, those skills and learnings will be applied to our day-to-day operations, as well as future projects to make Viridien even stronger in the market.  

Heather: My team performed exceptionally in assisting other teams to successfully open and operate the Hub. They undertook tasks beyond their scope, demonstrating remarkable collaboration towards a common objective, which was great to see. One of the key takeaways is the importance of maintaining flexibility and recognizing that we are confronting these challenges collectively. Much of this process involves learning through experience, but we now feel more prepared for upcoming projects.

Rokas: This was our first data center built using this concept, but it won’t be the last. We will undoubtedly have opportunities to apply our learnings to future projects.

Karen: Every large project encounters unexpected challenges, and through those we learn the most. No one ever wants things to go wrong, but they are what stick in your mind and generate new ideas and deeper understanding. Also fostering a non-blame culture and transparency and communication across teams is important. I think everyone has a newfound respect for all teams involved and the work put in.

Learn more about Viridien’s HPC AI & Cloud Solutions.