We recently announced that Cadence Reality DC Release 2024.1 is now available (in this short blog) and wanted to follow up with even more updates we think our customers will be excited about. This blog discusses noteworthy improvements regarding general modeling, flow network, UX, and sustainability features.
From Chip to Campus: Simulate the Entire Data Center Ecosystem
Cadence data center software can simulate the entire data center ecosystem up to the campus level in Cadence Reality DC 2024.1. This level of modeling is made possible by bringing data halls and the external environment together in a single parent model.
Buildings can have floors that house data halls, and the inside and outside are connected through flow networks, power networks, and data networks.
Each piece can be simulated individually or as one whole system. External environments benefit from in-built ASHRAE weather selection, including 9237 ASHRAE weather stations and automatic selection of the five closest to longitude and latitude of the model, extreme annual conditions, wind directions, and more. The software also includes connection to BIM data through IFC files and supports intelligent import of more objects, including:
- Cables
- Pipes
- Ducts
- Chillers
- Generators
- Cooling towers
- Buildings
This intelligent import functionality further simplifies and automates the model creation process.
Go with the Flow: Flow Network Upgrades
Cadence Reality DC 2024.1 includes an interconnection between the flow network and the standard 3D model for effective co-simulation. With this latest release, the flow network includes chiller and cooling tower co-simulation connections. In turn, the flow network sensor can now be used by the 3D controller. Object libraries are available on the drawing canvas, and cooling failure can be used for the flow network model without the need for co-simulation. This release also offers twice as fast co-simulation performance.
Picture Perfect: UX Improvements
Release 2024.1 includes important UX improvements. The software offers three times faster rendering speed using GPU acceleration (which also means real-time streamlines and instant results plane repositioning), clearer views clipped by plane or volume, live transient slider results view, new view manipulation options (i.e., zoom and rotation), the ability to hide unwanted devices on the floor plan, and even a new dark mode.
Sustainable Design and Operations: New Carbon Emissions Module
This release offers new sustainability analysis tools (if you are using Cadence Reality DC Design Pro or Cadence Reality DC Insight). Specifically, these offerings now include a new carbon module. This module reports Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions in the software. Scope 1 is direct emissions from generators. Scope 2 is indirect emissions from energy used, and Scope 3 is indirect emissions from embodied carbon in IT and infrastructure.
Effective and User-Friendly Data Center Software
Our customers and the challenges emerging in the data center industry are always front of mind as we develop and improve our software. Whether the changes are major (like a fully simulated ecosystem) or somewhat smaller (like the highly requested dark mode), we hope that every change makes Cadence data center software that much more effective and user-friendly.