AI and HPC loads in colocation hit kilowatts per rack and how the hall removes heat, not a free rack unit. In the Akashi Data Center design in Astana those figures are named twice, and they are not the same: the cabinet rental page says “up to 20 kW”, the campus module grid has separate ceilings, up to DC-4. Liquid cooling in the public wording is tied to DC-4. The first phase launches in May 2027, so what follows is what the design already states, not a datasheet of an operating hall.
A neighbouring look at GPU density is in AI and GPU in Kazakhstan and GPU cluster placement. What follows is how to read the cabinet, the modules and liquid cooling before handover.
Why AI outgrows an ordinary rack
In the colocation guide classic CPU racks sit in a 5–10 kW band. Dense and mixed CPU/GPU loads are placed there at 15–20 kW and above; the same passage names a cooling scheme — a hot aisle or liquid. That is a comparison aid for halls, not a datasheet for an Akashi rack.
The cabinet page lives apart from that grid. Width 1200 mm, coded access, dual PDUs, support for high-density loads up to 20 kW, including AI/ML. The “up to 20 kW” figure cannot be substituted as the DC-4 module ceiling and cannot be read as a measured density of a handed-over hall. A non-standard footprint goes in a cage. Cooling engineered to a room is the dedicated server room contour.
DC-1, DC-2–3 and DC-4: design kW
The figures come from the campus description. They are design figures, not a measured density of a handed-over hall. The module layout is in the Astana campus piece. The actual rack count depends on the client’s requirements and on kW per rack.
| Module | Design IT load | Per rack | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC-1 | 5.28 MW | up to 15 kW | first phase, design supply |
| DC-2 | 12 MW | up to 30 kW | campus module |
| DC-3 | 12 MW | up to 30 kW | campus module |
| DC-4 | up to 30 MW | up to 150 kW | high-density AI loads and HPC, liquid cooling |
The floor plate of DC-4 is comparable to the first module; in compute it is intended as the most powerful object on the campus. Design power of the complex after every phase is up to 100 MW. The campus is planned for 4,224 racks in four buildings on 11 hectares. The exact density for the chosen phase is confirmed when the configuration is calculated; it is not taken from the neighbouring row of the table.
How to talk about liquid before handover
DC-4 engineering provides for modern liquid-cooling technologies. Until the module is handed over, that contour cannot be described as already running, and a specific scheme — rear door, direct-to-chip or immersion — cannot be promised.
Astana’s climate in the same description allows free cooling for much of the season. Free-cooling and hybrid modes are designed to cut energy use by up to 40% versus a conventional scheme. The target PUE is below 1.4. These are design targets. How they are worded is in the green engineering piece.
If the calculated rack fits cabinet density up to 20 kW, the DC-4 liquid scheme should not be added “just in case”. If the calculation sits above the ceiling of the chosen module, the question to the site is which phase and which cooling contour the design assigns to it. At Akashi, liquid is named for DC-4.
Power and reserve as the density backbone
High density holds if the failure of one power element does not have to kill the rack. The campus design states:
- two independent feeds, active/active, with 110 kV redundancy;
- dual electrical redundancy per building;
- UPS with 5/4N redundancy and up to 10 minutes of battery backup;
- backup generators — 12 hours of autonomy at full load;
- two fuel suppliers, with an SLA of 4 hours.
Main 110/10 kV substation equipment is installed on site, and a dedicated line has been brought in. That describes a campus under construction, not a hall commissioning record.
Rack mass should be checked against a floor load of 2 t/m² and a raised floor of 1.6 m. The campus has two loading terminals with freight elevators. Four independent optical entries; the specific set of operators is discussed individually.
Phase-one design documents hold Uptime TCDD Tier IV. That certifies the design, not the built hall. The TCCF audit is planned for April 2027. TCDD is not TCCF. Designed availability of a Tier IV topology is 99.995%. The Tier IV page and Tier III or Tier IV cover what of that lands in a contract.
What to lock in a reservation
The first phase launches in May 2027. DC-4 is not part of the first phase; the module’s launch date has not been announced yet. Construction progress is on the construction progress page. Against the 5.28 MW design IT of DC-1, 5.54 MW is reserved; the pre-launch pipeline is 107% of DC-1 capacity. Capacity is locked by a reservation, not by waiting for a free rack on opening day.
In the request on the contacts page it helps to state kilowatts per rack and rack count, whether the DC-4 liquid scheme is required or a cabinet up to 20 kW is enough, a 1200 mm standard or non-standard, mass against 2 t/m², and the date relative to May 2027. Sales replies within one business day, checks available capacity and sends a proposal with prices, timelines and technical details. There are no list prices on the site. Directly: sales.department@akashi.cloud, +7 700 810 3010.
The industry guide GPU colocation for AI explains how a dense cluster differs from an ordinary rack, without substituting Akashi design figures.
Need density above an ordinary rack? Send a request — we will match kW and the module and clarify a cooling scheme for your project, without promising a liquid hall that is already running.
Frequently asked questions
Which kW-per-rack figures does Akashi publish for a cabinet and for the modules? The cabinet-rental page states up to 20 kW per rack, including AI/ML. Campus copy names module supply separately: DC-1 up to 15 kW at 5.28 MW of IT, DC-2 and DC-3 up to 30 kW and 12 MW of IT each, DC-4 up to 150 kW at a design IT load of up to 30 MW. The exact density for a phase is confirmed when the configuration is calculated.
Where in the design is liquid cooling named? In the campus description, liquid cooling is tied to module DC-4. DC-4 engineering provides for modern liquid-cooling technologies. That is design wording, not a description of a hall already handed over.
Is the liquid-cooling contour already running in a hall? No. The first phase launches in May 2027; the hall has not been handed over. Until the facility is delivered, liquid cooling cannot be described as already running. The subject is what is written into the DC-4 design.
How does campus power support high density? Two independent 110 kV feeds in an active/active scheme, UPS with 5/4N redundancy and up to 10 minutes of battery, generators with 12 hours of autonomy at full load, and two fuel suppliers with an SLA of 4 hours. That is the campus contour in the design, not a measurement of an operating hall.
What should be agreed in a reservation before May 2027? Kilowatts per rack and rack count, whether the DC-4 liquid scheme is required or cabinet density up to 20 kW is enough, a 1200 mm footprint or non-standard, mass against 2 t/m², the date relative to May 2027. DC-4 is not part of the first phase; the module’s launch date has not been announced yet. Against the 5.28 MW design IT of DC-1, 5.54 MW is reserved; the pipeline is 107% of DC-1 capacity.