Global Audits Uncover Widespread Sensor Issues in Mission Critical Data Centers

As the demand for artificial intelligence continues to surge, concerns about the environmental impact of data centers are escalating, particularly regarding their substantial energy and water usage. The nationwide imperative to ensure the sustainability of data centers, which house the advanced data processing technology essential for AI operations, is receiving unprecedented attention.

After calibrating over 100,000+ sensors in live data centers, Standard Calibrations, Inc. (SCI), issued a whitepaper with alarming audit findings: 1 in 4 sensors that were monitoring essential functions such as heating, cooling, humidity control, and other operations were found to be inaccurate. Furthermore, installation deficiencies were identified in new data centers more than 15% of the time. SCI attributes these inaccuracies to various root causes, including evolving technology demands and oversights in sensor design, selection, and installation.

Standard Calibrations, Inc. (SCI) of Chesapeake, Virginia, the leading authority in sensor calibrations for building management systems (BMS), warns that overlooking sensor inaccuracy can lead to costly downtime and operational inefficiencies for data centers.

Accurate building sensor data is the cornerstone of maintaining system performance and achieving sustainability targets for data center owners and operators. However, drifting, inaccurate, or failing sensors can have severe consequences and may lead to underperforming HVAC systems, increased energy consumption, and unnecessary equipment wear—all of which can significantly impact risk and cost.

Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of building sensors is a strategic imperative for business executives seeking to safeguard their data center investments and maintain a competitive edge. By leveraging SCI's free SensorProQ health check services, data center owners and operators can take the first step toward ensuring data integrity, optimizing system performance and uptime, and driving operational excellence.

As part of the SensorProQ service, SCI also offers QAQC surveys and consultations that help mitigate risk by ensuring sensors are installed correctly, fully setup, and functioning as intended. These SensorProQ checks are conducted seamlessly and with no disruption to critical data center operations.