3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / Construction / Hydrogen Powered 3D Printed Data Centers Coming Soon
revopoint

Hydrogen Powered 3D Printed Data Centers Coming Soon

January 25, 2023

Californian company EdgeCloudLink (ECL) is a data center-as-a-service startup planning to offer hydrogen-powered, off-grid modular data centers with 3D printed concrete structures.

The new venture is building its first data center at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, using a construction 3D printer and a local building services company.

It will be powered by hydrogen delivered from a local source and will use a proprietary liquid cooling design, thus reducing the need for diesel generators for power.

Efficient Data Center Structures

Data centers can be costly to run due to multiple factors, including the surrounding environment, and also the volatility of variable costs (such as electricity). Data centers need cooling, and in hot climates, these bills can mount up.

The added costs of fuel / electricity, that can fluctuate depending on geopolitical situations can make operating a data center an expensive game.

ECL is hoping to reduce costs by producing modular data centers, assembled from printed blocks, with each standard unit capable of generating 1-2 MW of power. The power will be produced by hydrogen, produced on site.

The ECL unit can be repeated as many times as needed to build larger sites. ECL has optimized the single block cost to build and performance enabling easy scaling. The modular concept allows the company to build to the customer’s needs, with each complete block being isolated for power, cooling, security, fire suppression, and operations.

Single block
Single block with on-site hydrogen production. (Image credit: ECL)

The structural shells will consist of two thin walls filled with insulation, making them strong and well-equipped to deal with environmental factors.

The cost of owning the construction printers will also be slashed, as ECL will be using printers belonging to their partners, at first. Then after the initial construction is complete, ECL will own its own 3D printers and train staff up to use them.

When there is no construction on a site, ECL plans to offer the construction printer to the local community to make housing or community buildings.

The printers can be operated by just three people, reducing manpower demands on the construction process.

Small Data Centers

Where printing large and complicated structures can be expensive, ECL reckons that printing smaller, simpler buildings may be a good value proposition, especially as they are using their partners’ equipment.

Scaled up
Scaled up data center complex, with many blocks. (Image credit: ECL)

Their local partners have previous construction experience and are assisting ECL with ensuring that they are compliant with California’s zoning and seismic regulations.

“What we’re trying to create is a zero-emission, zero water-use, community-integrated data center,” said Yuval Bachar, founder and CEO at ECL.

“That means a data center which is not impacting the community – but contributing to the community around us.”

“The reason we picked Mountain View is because it’s considered a relatively difficult city to work with. Our assumption was that if we can actually handle Mountain View California, we can probably handle it anyplace on the face of the Earth.”

The company has recently received $7m funding from Molex and Hyperwise to develop their data center solution.

The pilot should be ready by Q2 of 2023.

For more information, head on over to the ECL site, here.

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Phillip Keane
Phillip is an aerospace engineer from UK. He is a graduate of Coventry University (UK), International Space University (France) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), where he studied Advanced Manufacturing at the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing.
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

University of Bristol Researchers are Testing 3D-Printed Structures for Earthquake Resistance

University of Bristol researchers are testing 3D-printed structures for earthquake resistance using a specialized shaking table. The experiment, conducted at the university's Soil... read more »

Construction
University of Bristol Researchers are Testing 3D-Printed Structures for Earthquake Resistance

3D Printing Technology Tested on Historic Bridge in Great Barrington as Potential Solution for Aging Infrastructure

Researchers from UMass Amherst and MIT have successfully applied 3D printing technology to repair a bridge in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The test utilized... read more »

3D Printing Metal
3D Printing Technology Tested on Historic Bridge in Great Barrington as Potential Solution for Aging Infrastructure

Neighborhood 91 Advances Additive Manufacturing Hub Initiative

The Pittsburgh region is strengthening its position in advanced manufacturing with the development of Neighborhood 91 (N91), an additive manufacturing campus adjacent to... read more »

News
Neighborhood 91 Advances Additive Manufacturing Hub Initiative

Sakuu Receives Fast Company Award for Dry Electrode Printing Technology

Sakuu has been named a winner in Fast Company's 2025 World Changing Ideas Awards for its Kavian dry electrode printing process. The company's... read more »

Electronics
Sakuu Receives Fast Company Award for Dry Electrode Printing Technology

Vietnam Sets Global Record with 3D-Printed Femur for 8-Year-Old Cancer Patient

Vinmec Healthcare System in Vietnam has achieved a medical milestone by successfully implanting the world's first fully 3D-printed titanium femur in an eight-year-old... read more »

Medical
Vietnam Sets Global Record with 3D-Printed Femur for 8-Year-Old Cancer Patient

Qatar Launches World’s Largest 3D-Printed Construction Project to Build New Schools

Qatar has begun construction on two large 3D-printed schools as part of a broader project to build 14 new educational facilities. Each 3D-printed... read more »

Construction
Qatar Launches World's Largest 3D-Printed Construction Project to Build New Schools

Stanford Researchers Develop New Method for 3D Printing Complex Vascular Networks

Stanford University researchers have created a computational platform that designs and 3D prints complex vascular networks needed for bioprinted organs. The system, published... read more »

Bioprinting
Stanford Researchers Develop New Method for 3D Printing Complex Vascular Networks

Rocket Lab Reserves Two Ultra Large-Format Metal 3D Printers from Nikon SLM Solutions

Rocket Lab has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nikon SLM Solutions to reserve two upcoming ultra-large format metal additive manufacturing systems. The... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Rocket Lab Reserves Two Ultra Large-Format Metal 3D Printers from Nikon SLM Solutions

3D-Printed Clay Bug Hotel Provides Sustainable Habitat for Insects

French artist and designer Raphaël Emine has created a new project called "Les Utopies Entomologiques" (Entomological Utopias) that combines art with environmental conservation.... read more »

Environmental
3D-Printed Clay Bug Hotel Provides Sustainable Habitat for Insects

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing