EkkoSoft Critical 9.0 boosts data centre cooling & power

EkkoSense has released a new version of its data centre management software, EkkoSoft Critical 9.0, featuring enhanced support for large and complex data centre environments, and new capabilities for power and cooling optimisation.

The updated software is designed to assist data centre operators in managing hybrid cooling systems, combining liquid and air-based cooling methods within a single space, and introduces advanced features such as three phase balancing and residual current monitoring. These additions aim to meet evolving operational needs amid rising demand for AI compute workloads.

Dean Boyle, Chief Executive Officer at EkkoSense, commented: "EkkoSoft Critical 9.0 becomes the essential AI tool for the growing number of data center operators – including hyperscalers, colocation providers, and major financial firms - that are looking to balance legacy and digital transformation workloads with the accelerated demand for AI compute capabilities. EkkoSoft Critical is all about helping our customers to optimise data center performance to previously unachievable levels. This latest release ensures they have all the capacity, power and cooling data and visualisations they'll need to get there even more quickly."

EkkoSoft Critical 9.0 offers enterprise data centres real-time capacity planning and power management through several new and improved features. The software now supports larger data centre rooms with the ability to handle multiple UPS systems, air-conditioning systems, and up to six Power Distribution Units (PDUs) per rack, addressing requirements of large operators.

The platform's hybrid cooling optimisation responds to the increasing adoption of high-density compute deployments that may require a combination of liquid and air cooling. Operators can monitor room cooling capacity regardless of the mix, improving efficiency and performance of diverse environments.

The software introduces Full Flex Capacity Optimisation, allowing operations teams to tailor the system to their specific capacity optimisation needs, including options for system power, cooling, or site power optimisation, used separately or in combination.

For power management, EkkoSoft Critical 9.0 brings three-phase load balancing capabilities, providing visibility into the loading of critical PDUs to help avoid inefficiencies caused by unbalanced supply. It also supports residual current monitoring for individual rack PDUs, offering alerts and compliance with expanding industry regulations.

Updates to the user interface include a revised side bar for clearer presentation of capacity metrics and historical visualisations of peak values. One-click reporting is intended to enable faster identification and utilisation of stranded capacity within facilities.

Paul Milburn, Chief Product Officer at EkkoSense, said: "One of the main barriers to effective data center optimisation is the sheer complexity of working with traditional DCIM tools and CFD solutions. EkkoSoft Critical solves this by letting operations teams manage all their current and future capacity, power and cooling demands within a single, intuitive 3D visualisation and analytics tool."

He added: "This is particularly important as data centers increase in complexity and power usage with AI workloads that require more complex cooling requirements. The new release provides operations teams with a precise understanding of exactly what's going on from an infrastructure and engineering perspective when they deploy AI services and start to run them at scale. So, whether it's supporting larger data centers that have multi-power systems feeding into all their racks, or helping to bring all your hybrid, liquid or air-cooled capacity monitoring together, EkkoSoft Critical 9.0 directly addresses the challenges data centers face with escalating AI workloads and more complex cooling requirements."

The updated platform uses real-time IoT sensing to deliver enhanced data accuracy and visibility into temperature, power and cooling metrics, supporting agile decision-making for operations teams. According to the company, EkkoSoft Critical 9.0's approach aims to provide a single analytics resource to simplify management across increasingly hybrid and high-performance environments.