Project Title

IronHive

Project Champion and Biography

Steyn Meyer Is part of the commercialisation Department with a background in Mechanical engineering and product development. You can find him working on his own design projects or assisting others with technology development projects. He has a passion for technology and is always open to engage with people on the matter

Project Biography

IronHive, an immersion-cooled server solution, presents multiple advantages that could be beneficial for distributed cloud compute networks or even the data processing requirements of the SKA project. By submerging servers in a dielectric fluid, immersion cooling significantly enhances energy efficiency, cutting down on the costs associated with traditional cooling methods. This cooling technique not only boosts server performance through superior thermal management but also enables greater server density. This is particularly advantageous for cloud computing, as it requires less physical space and infrastructure while handling extensive computational loads. Additionally, immersion cooling contributes to longer hardware lifespans by providing consistent thermal conditions and minimizing thermal stress, which could reduce the frequency and costs of maintenance and replacements. The modular and scalable nature of IronHive makes it an excellent fit for distributed network infrastructures, facilitating easy and cost-effective expansion without the need for extensive alterations to existing infrastructure.

Project Objectives

Prototyping and development is complete; the project is currently aiming to deploy a number of units across South Africa and create software and compute infrastructure to support a distributed cloud network that can be accessible from anywhere. This is being undertaken by SARAO and a company called Tsolo

Project Team

Steyn Meyer

Project Status