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Jane Neil Of Subzero Engineering On How We Can Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics

Normalize Female Engineers: Using social media to showcase women in engineering can normalize the presence of women in these roles and make them more relatable to young girls.

An Interview with Jane Neil by Vanessa Ogle
Originally featured on Medium, this article delves into the gender disparity in STEM and outlines effective ways to boost girls’ engagement in engineering and robotics. Read the full article here: https://www.subzeroeng.com/how-we-can-increase-girls-participation-in-engineering-and-robotics/

Despite the growing importance of engineering and robotics in shaping our future, women remain significantly underrepresented in these fields. This series aims to explore and address the barriers that discourage girls from pursuing careers in engineering and robotics. We are talking to educators, industry leaders, pioneering women engineers, and robotics experts who have made significant contributions to their fields to discuss the strategies they believe can inspire and increase the participation of young girls in engineering and robotics. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jane Neil, Subzero Engineering.

She is a positive self motivated individual with an outgoing personality who offers an analytical view to life and activities. With thirty years experience working in complex and constantly changing environments I have gained well developed organisational, networking, communication and negotiation skills and ability to prioritise and manage extensive workloads.

Through the unique experience of life and rigour within the Royal Navy, high pressure, time bound commitments on self and team was commonplace, this provided extensive travel and extended experience of numerous cultures.

Strong technical background with practice in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing and Supply Chain gained in heavy engineering within construction, pump equipment and automotive industry. Working knowledge of numerous quality systems and standards both from a compliance and an implementation perspective.

Her recent Supply Chain experiences have developed the ability to understand explicit and implicit customer needs while building internal and external working relationships across global regions. This has also developed Project Management competence, involving multiple stakeholders with varying needs, using influencing skills in a variety of customer and supplier situations, delivering results through people. All aspects of people management from recruitment to performance, an ability to identify support and development needs within teams.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I’ve always been drawn to engineering, It’s very much an internal feeling. But it was out of necessity as my parents separated when I was very young, so if anything broke in the house, I was the one who wanted to fix it so my mum wouldn’t worry. I would carry out many simple manual tasks, such as plastering walls or laying bathroom tiles. I remember once the washing machine broke, and I gave my mum an electric shock in my attempts to fix it!

Back then, around 35 years ago, it was rare to find females in engineering roles. Luckily for me, the British Royal Navy changed that, and for the first time in history women could go to sea. That also meant that females could be engineers. Before then, the stereotypical WREN was handbag and court shoes, all very British.

I’ve been around the world, and I’ve done a lot. Since the Royal Navy I’ve been in many different manufacturing and engineering environments, from marine engineering, automotive, and pump manufacturing. The oil, gas and nuclear industries were prominent in my earlier career path and that’s before I went into more high-tech electronics.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When I first started, the uniform issued to me was a mix of both male and female designs, because I was only the seventh woman to go to sea as an engineer. We were pioneers, not entirely sure what to expect. My first military assignment was during the Bosnia War, where I was awarded a NATO medal for peacekeeping. That was in my first three months at sea!

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering or robotics, and how can we replicate that inspiration for young girls?

The UK Government presented the opportunity to me, but for future generations, targeted marketing and social media can be powerful tools. How can you get a female’s attention when you are competing with fashion and diet pills on Instagram, etc? Highlighting the potential for high salaries in electronics and engineering could be appealing.

We need to educate young people in digestible chunks while they’re still in that sweet spot of discovery and understanding, to show them what the future could look like! There are so many different elements to engineering and, for many, it can be quite overwhelming. Social media can play a big role in making these concepts accessible and normalizing the idea of women in engineering.

It’s also interviews such as these, where you can see that I have a normal life, kids and family, my work-life balance in check, I have a management role, and this is the salary bracket. Being here, proving to people that I’m doing the job, demonstrates to younger females that women are in management and engineering roles now, that we are supportive of those young girls coming in.

The path forward is now carved out, though it’s still narrow. When I was younger, the route wasn’t smooth — you had to climb rocks, overcome obstacles, and break through barriers. But today, that path exists.

I encourage women to walk that path, knowing there are others ready to support them along the way. As managers in engineering environments, it’s our responsibility to recognize and nurture the talent in the young.

There is a duty of care, a real sense of responsibility to guide the talent in the young females and give them stretch assignments. I’m always challenging the females in the work environment to be uncomfortable. Because being uncomfortable is good. It may not feel that way, but you must move your thinking because you only ever grow when you’re out of your comfort zone. Uncomfortableness equals growth and you will have no idea what you can achieve if you don’t learn to see it positively!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My sense of responsibility stems from the fact that I didn’t really have any work mentors or significant figures guiding me through my career. While I never felt recognized for my struggles, it taught me the importance of recognizing and nurturing talent in others. People nowadays are so concerned with themselves that they don’t have the time, space, or energy to recognize other’s talents, but that doesn’t mean that you’re less talented.

The adversity that I went through helped make me the person and the leader that I am today. It possibly makes me fiercer and more courageous. My career path may not have been a smooth ride, but that’s not real life, is it?

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

A coach called David Allen, and his program called Getting Things Done (GTD) made a significant impact on me. I got hold of an audio file of a seminar that he did probably 15 years ago, and I just loved it. It’s about time management & high performance. I still listen to the audio file today if I get bogged down or too busy. I’ll just play one of them and it lifts me up to where my thinking needs to be. It taught me how to mind map and how not to worry about the things I wasn’t doing so I had the energy to focus on the highest value projects. And it taught me how to extract those blockages from my brain, whether via high tech or low tech so that it wasn’t jamming my creativity.

As females we often worry about what we’re not doing, and don’t celebrate what we are doing well. Changing that mindset has made me a better mother, wife, employee, manager, everything. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I ever received came from the GTDs. I use it with my team: when we are naturally good at something, we often take that magic and put it in a zero-value bucket because we think it’s natural and therefore not special. We need to take our natural talents back out of the zero-value bucket as it’s our super power!

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

My favorite life lesson quote is from a Jack Canfield book. It’s ‘no blaming, no complaining, no excuses’. It leaves you nowhere to go, so you’re forced to own it. I was always taught by my mother to look in before you look out. We live in a world today where we’re so easily distracted with information bombarding us from all angles, that we’re constantly looking to the next answer and not concentrating on what we have in front of us. I believe the answers are always inside us. We just need to find the peace and quiet inside and take a minute to listen.

I use this life lesson quote in my day-to-day work and ask my team to do the same. Once you take the blame or complain out of the equation it becomes easier to look at the challenge and deal with it head on.

According to this report, only about 16% of engineering positions in the US are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from Engineering and Robotics?

As females, we can sometimes gravitate to areas and environments where there are more women around, sub-consciously avoiding those that are more male-centric. Women might have an idea of what a normal day looks like if they work in, for example, marketing, which is perhaps a more balanced role, but I don’t think we’re quite there yet on the engineering front. Again, social media can help in demystifying roles, and showing what a normal day in an engineering role is like. In addition, the availability of more equal salaries in this industry helps women to know that they are valued more equally.

This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should enter the Engineering and Robotics fields?

Women are natural problem solvers. We look at things in a different perspective from men. Our brains are wired differently, so we can look at a challenge from all the different angles, which in turn offers more innovation. It’s a beautiful thing for a female to bring to engineering environments and there is huge satisfaction that comes from problem-solving, improving things, and innovating. Your self-esteem, your happiness, your take on life, the confidence that grows; you don’t have to think or feel like a man to bring that talent into the workplace. Diversity leads to greater innovation, and having more women in engineering will only accelerate progress.

Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics?”

1. Role Models in Schools: While STEM stuff is prominent in schools right now, it’s doesn’t quite translate into jobs available for females in engineering. Middle school is a critical time for kids to discover potential career paths. Having female engineers speak at schools and share their experiences can help demystify the field and inspire young girls.

2. Clear Educational Pathways: Highlighting courses available in college and how they translate into a career for women, would be a big improvement. If I’d had that knowledge at that age, my path would have been a much easier one to take.

3. Educate in Bite-sized Chunks: Educating young people to show them what their potential can look like. If we introduce young girls to the many different elements of engineering and the many different industries that engineering is a part of, rather than just a high overview, would really help the next generation to understand the innovation and change aspect. All too many times, people just don’t understand what we do, so to break down the many various elements of it in bite-size chunks of learning would help.

4. Normalize Female Engineers: Using social media to showcase women in engineering can normalize the presence of women in these roles and make them more relatable to young girls.

5. Promote Salary Parity: Demonstrating to young people that they can earn the same salaries as their equal male counterparts is powerful. Women deserve equal parity and pay, and that was part of the attraction for me when I was younger. I don’t think we’re fully there yet, but we are moving in the right direction.

In your opinion, what are the most effective ways to introduce girls to engineering and robotics at an early age?

It would be helpful if school visits with groups of females who had shown an interest in engineering could come into the company, how often do you see the inside of an organization at that age? Introducing young people to what the manufacturing environment looks like, how it feels to be in the building and meeting the people that work there would be very effective. If local businesses could be attached to school programs, and have classes come and physically walk around the business — it could be enough to spark a light.

Educational programs at the school level, hands-on learning experiences and opportunities, and fostering inclusive and supportive environments would encourage young women into the industry. A lot of impressionable young women worry that the industry is too male dominated and that can feel quite intimidating. Seeing real women who actually work in the industry and talking with them about day-to-day life would put a lot of young women at ease.

30% of office and 25% of production are female, we are a super supportive bunch! We want the absolute best for each other, it’s a magical environment. We would love to show our next female generation just how supportive we can be.

How do you think the portrayal of women in STEM fields by media and educational materials impacts girls’ interest in engineering and robotics?

Social media can impact girls’ interests, but I don’t think there is enough positive content to be found on the platforms, or that it’s real enough. It’s still very much at a high overview perspective, and it needs to be broken down into much more real-life examples for young people to be able to digest and absorb. Our marketing video has many women in production, and it does a great job in showing the reality of the industry. We need more displays of females in their normal place of work.

What advice would you give to girls who are interested in engineering and robotics but are hesitant to take the first step?

The path has been carved now, and, as females, we should be stepping onto it. The more that we do, the wider the path will become and the smoother the journey. We are always building our way for the future of females, so we’re not only responsible for ourselves, but we’re also responsible for whoever is coming next. We don’t have to be masculine anymore. We can make a real difference in engineering, and that is very, very satisfying. It’s a role where you can look back and say, I made a change. That could be a change in technology or an office environment for other females. Feminism has evolved; it is about heart, soul and humility. Bringing your diversity to an engineering environment where you are involved in the change for the future is a nourishing and rewarding place to be.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

“Women in Clean Tech” is the movement I’d inspire!

Women Engineering a Sustainable Future. It combines two crucial elements: increasing diversity in engineering and addressing environmental challenges. This movement would promote mentorship programs, collaborative eco-tech projects, and sustainability-focused innovations.

By encouraging more women to enter engineering fields, we can tap into a wealth of undiscovered potential. This diversity brings fresh ideas and approaches to problem-solving, which is crucial when tackling complex issues like climate change and resource scarcity. Utilizing individual talents to strengthen a group, recognizing and leveraging the unique skills and perspectives that each member brings to the table.

I recently implemented a recyclables project, led by a female on my team is a small example of this potential. Imagine this amplified globally — women engineers spearheading a more sustainable world. By merging gender diversity with environmental action, we can create positive change that benefits everyone and creates a powerful synergy.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.

Data Center

Educational Article

How AI is Revolutionizing the Data Center Industry

Article by Gordon Johnson, Subzero Senior CFD Manager

The data center industry is, and will continue to be, in high demand for storage and process capabilities while at the same time facing increasing pressure to be more efficient, more secure and more scalable. This is where we see AI, the technology rapidly reshaping how we use our data, assisting us in our quest to be smarter, yet greener than ever.

While some say (perhaps correctly) that right now in 2024, AI is not as widespread as many would have us believe – AI is estimated to be in only 5% of data centers – the reality is that 20% of data centers are expected to have some kind of AI as early as 2026. The AI market is projected to reach US $407bn by 2027.

There is also much speculation on how to scale AI applications, so we’re seeing some data centers increasing their infrastructure to support future AI applications. In addition, some completed, or near-completed, designs are being revisited to support projected AI demand.

Operational Efficiency

AI’s predictive capabilities extend beyond maintenance to capacity planning, helping data centers anticipate and prepare for future demands, enabling efficient planning and scaling of operations to meet growing demand.

By providing insights into usage trends and capacity needs, AI assists in infrastructure management, planning upgrades and expansions, and ensuring data centers remain ahead of the curve.

AI helps improve Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) by analyzing patterns and making real-time adjustments to power usage. This leads to more sustainable operations and reduces operational costs. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software capitalizes on this analysis, enabling the validation of a design or restructure to ensure you don’t have to deal with a worst-case scenario.

Energy Management

AI applications are escalating power consumption at the time we need to become greener and more sustainable. AI has the potential to be used to assist in operating data centers in a smarter and more energy-conscious way and, if designed and deployed correctly, could help us in our goal of a net zero data center.

AI-powered systems can dynamically adjust temperatures and airflow based on real-time data, optimizing cooling processes and significantly reducing energy consumption. Facilities that are specifically designed to run AI applications will be cooled predominantly with liquid cooling going forward. This trend will also impact COLOs since they’ll need to offer HPC and AI capabilities to stay competitive.

Data center designers and managers are doing their best to separate high and regular-density equipment within the whitespace to drive future efficiency. Rack densities, chips, servers, power consumption and heat levels are expected to increase with the demand that AI requirements place on them.

Cooling

It’s safe to say that because of AI, the future of IT cooling and thermal management is likely to be a hybrid solution comprising both air and liquid cooling technologies.

While we can expect rack densities to continue to increase, not everyone plans to deploy AI and ML (Machine Learning). Data center workloads show that air will still be useful for cooling ITE, it’s typically going to be HPC servers where it will continue to get more difficult if not impossible to cool with air alone. It’s also important to emphasize that not all ITE will be at the high end of the heat scale in the foreseeable future, meaning we’ll still be cooling the majority of ITE with air. Moving forward, we’ll need to find the balance in terms of efficiency, cost, and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) when it comes to cooling options. Hybrid Cooling Infrastructure (air and liquid) is what we’ll be seeing more and more of moving forward.

The form of liquid cooling that is widely used is Direct-to-Chip (DTC)/Cold Plate liquid cooling. This technology uses a cooling fluid circulated through server CPUs and GPUs to absorb and dissipate heat. It is an effective way to cool AI ITE. DTC liquid cooling improves energy efficiency compared to traditional air cooling when deployed with high-density racks and can also reduce power utilization and overall water usage.

One important thing to consider is that DTC cooling only removes up to 70-75% of the heat generated by the ITE rack, leaving 25-30% that still needs to be removed by traditional air-cooling systems. Right now, the industry appears to be adopting DTC quicker than other forms of liquid cooling. This may or may not change, but once again this shows that air-cooling in our data centers is still needed and is not going away. We can expect to see its infrastructure continue to grow and be around for years to come.

Conclusion

AI is profoundly impacting the data center industry in several ways, modifying how data centers are designed, managed and operated. AI brings unprecedented levels of efficiency, security and scalability and, by using this technology, data centers can meet today’s growing demands while reducing costs and environmental impact. As AI technology continues to advance, its transformative effects on data centers will herald a new era of smart, sustainable, and resilient digital infrastructure.

AI is not just a tool for incremental improvements; it addresses the challenges faced by the data industry to reduce its carbon footprint, improve sustainability and bring us closer to net zero. As data volumes continue to climb, the integration of AI will become even more critical for the data center industry.

Company

Educational Article

Harnessing the Power of Operational Scalability

Article by Shane Kilfoil, Subzero Engineering President

In today’s fast-paced business environment, scalability is not just a buzzword; it’s a necessity. Entrepreneurs often get trapped in the daily grind of running their businesses, neglecting to put in place the systems, procedures, and people needed for sustainable growth. Without this foundation, companies hit bottlenecks, suffer inefficiencies, and face the risk of stalling or failing.

To be able to adapt and expand operations as your business grows is not just about adding employees or customers. Sure, that’s the main target, but what about the processes, systems or infrastructure to successfully and sustainably manage your customer needs?

Operational scalability cuts across all aspects of the business. It’s too easy to just focus on the production line if you’re a manufacturer. Sales and financial operations, through to supply chain operations also need to be considered and scaled up to meet the customer’s needs in a timely fashion. It’s vital to ensure that as the business evolves and grows, it doesn’t compromise on quality or efficiency across any aspect of the operation.

The investment of time and energy resources

The term operational scalability is personal to your business, the growth and evolution of it and where you see yourself being in X number of years.

For profitable growth, investing time and effort into your processes, your systems and the people that drive those processes are vitally important. If you haven’t set the groundwork, then when growth opportunities come along you might end up finding that the company is scrambling. This is not sustainable. I often use the analogy of comparing ourselves to a restaurant. You know how many meals you can make and on occasion you have a rush. You may be able to hire one or two extra people temporarily because you know that during this occasional rush period, you can meet the excess demand. That’s great for the short term, but as a company in a high-growth environment, you would need to be able to support that rush every day, every week, every month. And that becomes very hard to do. Most people can do a heavy lift for perhaps a week but then employees start getting tired. People start getting sick.

The organization needs to be set up to cater for those demand spikes, and then scale up and move to where the demand is coming from. A good foundation allows you to either quickly scale or absorb spikes without too much issue and sustainably maintain that through the course of your business.

Scaling up

We recently moved Simplex from a California-based manufacturing operation to our new Salt Lake City facility. It wasn’t that the California operation was operating poorly, in fact, they were a pretty efficient operation. But as we looked at its ability to scale, we realized we had some physical constraints in that the building was not large enough or set up as we needed. We also recognized that many of the commodities used are very similar between Simplex and Subzero, so we decided to move both businesses under a single 155,000 square foot facility giving the Simplex operation, which beforehand was restricted to a 40,000 square feet facility, room to grow.

Relocating allowed us to bring both businesses under a single roof. It gave us the option to scale the business significantly and allowed our engineering teams to manage a single supply chain. As an organization, we had to bring one business culture into another and help people adjust not just to the commercial side in terms of how they go to market with their customers, but also to what the culture was in Salt Lake City. Ultimately it was the right decision because it gave us the ability to scale our business and workforce during times of high demand. As an added advantage, there’s also been a cross-pollination of knowledge sharing and we now have a more cross-trained workforce. Should we ever get hit by another pandemic, this will allow us to continue our manufacturing capability without being heavily impacted.

Scalability or sustainability

Interpreting scalability can be difficult for many organizations. Maybe some businesses have got the term ‘operational scalability’ wrong because they haven’t been quite as sustainable in their business growth. For some, operational stability is about having a robust network so if there’s a supply shortage they can pull from another solution. For others, it’s more about how I grow. For me, operational sustainability is sustained, consistent growth. If I can scale it, can I maintain the same level of service and quality that my customer expects during that growth cycle? If I can’t, I’m probably not operationally robust enough. It’s a constant learning curve to consistently improve, and as you improve, you need to keep yourself nimble enough to meet demand or even a change in direction if there is demand for a new product. The organization needs to be set up both on the front end and the back end to support changes in demand capacity or changes in the customer’s direction.

Change management

It’s not just about the customer. It’s also about your employees. How do we keep the team motivated during these periods of scalability?

Trying to rally everyone around a common goal seems simple, but not everyone listens and learns the same way. Communication is key because once people understand, they’re often able to take it on board and help drive towards it. Effective communication and clear goal setting in driving operational scalability is essential for company-wide change. Understanding the purpose of tasks is essential for motivation and performance, and the successful implementation of new systems and processes relies heavily on the acceptance and adaptation of team members. Not everyone is comfortable with growth and change, however, self-managed, self-motivated and adaptable leaders who can handle change can be empowered with the responsibility to contribute to the organization’s growth.

Industry shifts

Covid accelerated the industry’s growth, emphasizing the importance of supply chain management and the ability to respond to changing demands quickly. At Subzero, we shifted towards greater flexibility in serving customers and the potential for addressing more esoteric requests due to increased capacity.

Operational sustainability and scalability are vital for growth and profits, and investing time, effort, and resources into processes, systems, and people is essential. But all the time you’re investing in these, a close eye needs to be kept on technology changes and clients’ demands. We’re currently looking at the role of AI in the data center industry and the challenges of integrating AI into systems while maintaining our sustainability goals. We need to plan for future infrastructure to support AI and other emerging technologies.

Our industry’s shift towards liquid cooling highlights challenges in terms of cost and scalability. I predict a hybrid solution will emerge, with traditional cooling methods used alongside liquid cooling, and we need to be sure that Subzero’s products will be scalable and adaptable to future requirements. Our ongoing journey towards becoming a total solutions provider focuses on sustainability and meeting customer needs, as well as the impact of rising interest rates on customers’ spending capabilities.

Company

Team

International Women’s Day 2024

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2024, we applaud some of the women within Senneca and Subzero Engineering who buck the trend of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.

Across the tech or manufacturing industry, many women hold the same roles as men but are never valued equally. The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is Inspire Inclusion. Today, we take action to drive gender parity by extolling our female engineers and operational personnel who create so much value across Senneca Holdings.

With that being said, let us meet some of the inspirational women on our team, and learn a little more about them and their role – in their own words.

Alexa McFarlane
Buyer in the Supply Chain for Subzero Engineering

This is the first organization I’ve been with where I don’t feel that being a woman is a conscious issue.

This is the first organization I’ve been with where I don’t feel that being a woman is a conscious issue. It has its moments, but I think the tech industry, in general, feels more data and performance-driven. There’s trust in the data and the systems that we use. And when our numbers are good, it doesn’t matter who you are.

I’m consistently impressed by how many women we have on the manufacturing floor in our offices. I feel like we add an element of humanity where we don’t judge each other if we’ve had a bad day and support each other in those rough moments. And when you have a great day, it’s fantastic to have people to celebrate with. We recognize that everybody makes mistakes. It’s nice not constantly feeling on the spot or that you can’t afford to have one of those days. Just having that breathing space allows all of us here to grow and be ourselves, personally and professionally. We’ve all achieved things most of us wouldn’t have expected by being allowed that breathing room.

What advice would I give to someone wanting to come into manufacturing? First off, don’t be scared. Don’t be afraid to get dirty. But the biggest thing is learn to toot your own horn. It’s not something that comes particularly naturally. You discover very quickly that there often isn’t anybody to do it for you. Bragging about yourself is okay.

Cathy Knutson
Office Manager & Site Services Install Team Coordinator

Women’s backgrounds, their life experiences and the multifaceted jobs they have often mean they need to be very detail-oriented. I didn’t think I was a good project manager until I told my manager that in the space of two weeks, I had moved my kids into a new apartment, got everybody enrolled in school, and got myself a new job, he asked me how I got all of that done in two weeks and why I wasn’t a project manager? I had never thought of that. It’s just something that we do, and we don’t apply it to the business sector, which we should do.

I feel my role needs to be very positive. It’s about encouraging people to know they already have the solution and know what to do. You have to go out of your comfort zone and you’re going to have to problem-solve in areas that you didn’t think was your job. I’m able to see where teams can benefit from working together or see what’s going on and say, I’ve been able to do this in the past, how can I help you with that? Invariably there’s always something to do to help, a natural skill for women because of the different viewpoints we see things from.

Seeing men and women on the production floor, it’s good to see them standing next to each other, working and problem-solving together. To me, that’s really exciting.

Chelsea Traver
Vice President of Finance at Senneca Holdings

One of the key ways to empower is to give people the ability to make decisions.

I’ve been in manufacturing for a while, but it’s a very male-dominated profession. However, I like being able to hold my own, being viewed as a trusted advisor, influencing things or being sought out for how to improve processes.

The biggest strength I bring to my role is my ability to build partnerships with any area of the business, whether it be sales, marketing, operations or direct labor. I don’t speak financially even though I’m in finance. I look to find common ground in which to move forward.

As you grow as a leader, you become less task-based and more development-based. It doesn’t matter whether you are a male or female of any race if they have the drive to grow, as a leader, you have the responsibility to help them get there. As a leader, your job is to empower people and give them the opportunities to step out and take a leap, while being there to catch them if they fall or praise them if they do well.

One of the key ways to empower is to give people the ability to make decisions. Diversity leads to better innovation because you get different ideas. Not everybody has the same upbringing. It’s where they came from in life and what they bring to the conversation. Sometimes if you only surround yourself with like-minded people, you can become set in the ways that you do things.

Gloria Huegel
Vice President of Human Resources at Senneca and Subzero Engineering

Organizations need to reinforce women in the workplace and recognize those who have excelled in technology, overcoming that traditional glass ceiling or barriers to entry.

I see my role in human resources as identifying and supporting women and people from underrepresented groups. We miss out as an organization when we don’t identify and leverage that talent, it’s extremely important for our success and our differentiation in the market to have those multiple voices.

Mentorships helped me get through different levels and different industries, and I found it very important to build those relationships and trust early on in my career. Now that I have acceded to a leadership level, I see it as my role to look out for other females who may not have had the same opportunities that I did.

Organizations need to reinforce women in the workplace and recognize those who have excelled in technology, overcoming that traditional glass ceiling or barriers to entry. Women who may have had to work a little harder to get into that space is a commendable achievement. And we need to recognize that.

With women primarily being the caretakers not only of children, but of aging parents, neighbors, and patrons within the church, they need lots of different communication styles. I think women adapt to their audience very well and wear multiple hats. They change their style according to what the situation demands.

At both Senneca and Subzero, we prioritize an environment of respect for all perspectives. We miss out if we censor or shut down different voices and different opinions. Diversity keeps us all growing and progressing, and that will differentiate us for success.

Jane Neil
Supply Chain Manager at Subzero Engineering

Women in management positions and leadership positions speak volumes to the younger females.

I have an extensive background in tech, starting as an electrical engineer in the British Royal Navy. I’ve also worked in oil and gas, electronics and construction. In my younger days, I would feel that you had to give 150% to stand still, but back then, the opportunities weren’t as available as they are now.

I have seen a lot of changes over the years and have encountered some challenges. But I think that if you turn back time, I wouldn’t want to take away any of those challenges. I think they’ve made me the character that I’m to be.

A lot of women don’t believe they’ll have the same opportunities as men. But I think having women’s voices on social media helps. I’ve also worked in places where we have a women in technology mentorship program where the senior leaders that are females are paired up with the younger females that want to advance and coach them. Women in those management positions and leadership positions speak volumes to the younger females.

I feel very determined to support the women here. I make extra effort to make sure they know that I’m around and that I’m here to support them, spending time with them one-on-one and letting them trust that there’s a path there for them. Sometimes we just need to have someone believe in us.

Women bring diversity and different approaches. Sometimes females can bring a softness to harder environments. Whenever there’s diversity, there’s innovation and growth. Everyone has their unique journeys in life and their unique backgrounds and cultures, which makes them look at things from a bunch of different angles. It’s proven that the more diversity in companies, the better their innovation. Everyone brings something different.

Liz Carranza
Production Planner at Subzero Engineering

The more people you have with different backgrounds and the different approaches that you have, the more well-rounded you become.

Communication as a production planner is imperative. You can’t get anything done if you’re not constantly talking to the production manager or the engineers. I have to keep tabs on what’s coming or going.

For companies looking to attract or empower more women, they would need to look at what Senneca is doing with regard to its Diversity and Inclusion Committee. It’s progressive with people from all backgrounds, ethnicities and genders highlighting our differences and how it makes the business great.

Diversity is really important in a company because it allows companies to be more empathetic. The more people you have with different backgrounds and the different approaches that you have, the more well-rounded you become.

Makenna Deamer
Sales Application Engineer at Subzero Engineering

When you are surrounded by people who know and trust you as a good engineer, being a female engineer is no different than being a male one.

I’ve always been into engineering. My dad’s an engineer and he’s always encouraged me to kind of look into things and how and why they work. I’ve worked in various industries with different jobs, however, this is the first job that I’ve had where I actually have an engineering title.

As a female engineer, you tend to run into a lot of biases. It’s unfortunate and something that we can work to change. But the only way that we’re ever going to be able to change is by creating better environments in which those biases don’t exist.

There’s a lot of distrust but once you’ve earned that trust, it’s no longer a roadblock to breaking into a position. If you can get past the initial double-checking of your work or questioning your decisions, and get to a point where you are surrounded by people who know and trust you as a good engineer, being a female engineer is no different than being a male one.

One of the challenges as a woman in engineering is coming across as assertive, but not so much that it’s seen as emotional. One of the best ways that you can do this is by developing a good rapport with your team and encouraging a positive environment for women with the technology. This starts from the top down.

Collaborative environments that allow women to speak their piece within informal settings where it’s less likely to come across incorrectly, or teambuilding activities that help encourage women to find their voice and to encourage positive communication all help to contribute to a positive environment.

Getting women, especially young girls, interested in science, technology, engineering and math is critical. One of the best things about tech is that you can start children early getting into STEM and getting them comfortable with computers and science and asking those questions. This can make a huge difference in how comfortable they are within the environment. It can help counteract other biases that can happen as the more comfortable you are, the more you’re likely to stay within the field, even as challenges arise.

Yvette “Shorty” Garcia
Lead on Manufacturing Line at Subzero Engineering

We get more women into the industry by asking their opinions. Women are going to see that. They’re going to read this.

I’m the only lead woman out of six men. I can be more humble than the guys. I pay attention to my workers, I care about their opinions and what we’re doing. I take their advice and they always give me feedback. I like having women on my line because they can be more detail-oriented. I love working with women because they’re easy to train. Women want to be challenged and to learn and build.

We get more women into the industry by asking their opinions. Women are going to see that. They’re going to read this. They’re going to see somebody working in manufacturing or tech and that gives other young women the incentive to do the same.

Forging equality

When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world.

And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

#InspireInclusion

Company

Press Release

Subzero Engineering Relocates Headquarters to New State-of-the-Art Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah

Subzero Engineering, the global leader in turnkey engineering solutions for data centers, industrial cleanrooms and mission-critical environments, is delighted to announce a new 155,000-square-foot facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The extensive premises enables the company to expand its capabilities while enabling the company to relocate its Simplex manufacturing facility into the same premises.

The new headquarters is set to transform the industry with its cutting-edge amenities. The new facility comprises 95,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space, 25,000 square feet for shipping, receiving and storage, and an additional 35,000 square feet of office space.

This strategic move, coupled with recent expansions in the sales, engineering, manufacturing, and installation teams, positions Subzero Engineering for remarkable growth in the coming years.

The new facility, located at 805 South 3600 West, Salt Lake City, Utah, represents a significant milestone for the company and the industry as a whole. This new facility will provide the space needed to support the combined teams of Subzero Engineering and Simplex Modular Cleanrooms, one of the most prominent names in modular cleanrooms, softwall curtains, strip doors, separation and process isolation, and their growing customer base. It will also encourage and develop the collaboration and teamwork of both teams to assist customers with custom projects, product enhancements, and new products while delivering support for all cleanroom and separation needs.

With an entire area dedicated to research and development, the company will be in a pivotal position to progress innovation, design and productivity. This is expected to become a prominent resource, establishing the company as a key partner in the evolution of the industry.

Take a Video Tour OF THE FACILITY

Notable highlights of the relocation include:

Expansive Product Demo Room
The product demo room showcases the full range of the organization’s data center and cleanroom products, allowing customers to comprehensively explore their options. The new product demonstration room is a testament to the company’s commitment to showcasing its cutting-edge offerings.
Cross-Product Knowledge Sharing
The new facility fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing between the data center and cleanroom product lines.
Research and Development
The dedicated Research and Development area will be the company’s epicenter of innovation, driving the development of cutting-edge solutions.
Enhanced Inventory and Materials Storage
The larger space allows for expanded inventory stock and improved materials storage capabilities, ensuring timely deliveries and better service.
Improved Customer Support
With the additional personnel and facilities, Subzero Engineering is committed to providing even better customer support and assistance.
Central Shipping Hub
Salt Lake City’s strategic location as a central shipping hub will expedite shipping and receiving processes, benefiting customers nationwide.

Shane Kilfoil, President of Mission Critical Environments, covering both Subzero Engineering and Simplex product lines said: “We’ve gone from starting in a garage, to now having a 155,000 square foot facility and seven different production lines. We’ve also tripled our workforce to help keep up with demand over the past 18 months. We foresee that continuing — but we also recognize that not everything can be done just with people. So, we’re making active investments in machinery and automation that will help us to further keep up with demand and take the strain off our employees to allow them to focus on other more value-added offerings and solutions that we can give to the customers and end users.”

Schedule an in-Person tour of the facility

Data Center

Video

Data Center Sustainability and CFDs

Video Overview

In the first episode of “The Data Center Expert Series”, we’re joined by Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager. Gordon talks us through his career and role at Subzero Engineering, before sharing insights into his latest white paper, titled The Future of Containment – Has Air Cooling Reached Its Limits? which looks into the cooling options available to cope with today’s rising demands on data centers.

Further highlights include:

Subzero Engineering’s company history and its key differentiators
Data center containment’s role in sustainability and cost savings
Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD), and why is it vital to help operators drive data center performance and efficiency
Insight from 15 years in the data center industry and the challenges facing the sector

Download the Whitepaper

Cleanrooms

Video

Simplex Cleanrooms Overview

Video Overview

In this latest installment of “The Cleanroom Expert Series”, we’re joined by Jerry Cross, Simplex Cleanroom Regional Sales Manager at Subzero Engineering. Jerry talks us through why Simplex cleanrooms by Subzero Engineering is the right choice for its customers and how, with a 40-year industry heritage, customers directly benefit from its industry knowledge and experience.

Other key discussion points and takeaways from this episode include:

Simplex product line history
Custom cleanroom solutions
The advantages of a modular cleanroom solution

Learn more about Simplex Cleanrooms by Subzero Engineering

Company

Video

Video Tour of Subzero Engineering’s Massive Industry-Leading Facility

Video Overview

Welcome to Subzero Engineering’s groundbreaking facility in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah—an impressive 155,000 square-foot powerhouse of progress that’s set to redefine the industry. Join us on a journey through our state-of-the-art facility, where innovation meets immersion in our expansive product demo room showcasing cutting-edge data center and cleanroom solutions. Focused on collaboration, our cross-product knowledge-sharing approach brings together teams for comprehensive support on custom projects and new innovations. With a dedicated research and development area, we’re pushing the boundaries of engineering solutions. Our enhanced inventory and materials storage, coupled with a larger workforce, ensure efficient operations and improved customer support. Positioned strategically in Salt Lake City, a central shipping hub expedites deliveries nationwide. Hear from Shane Kilfoil, our President, as he reflects on our journey from a garage startup to this impressive facility, underscoring our commitment to value-added solutions. Join us in pioneering the future of turn-key engineering solutions for critical environments. Visit our website and schedule a tour to witness the Subzero Engineering difference firsthand.

Further highlights include:

Tour our expansive product demo room featuring our complete Data Center and Cleanroom product line
Learn how cross-product knowledge sharing contributes to the turn key solutions we provide for critical environments
Learn about the value of our dedicated Research and Development area
See our robust material and inventory storage capabilities
Gain confidence in our improved customer support department, ensuring your needs are met promptly and efficiently
Details about our centralized shipping hub which guarantees faster delivery times and smoother logistics

Read the Press Release

How does Simplex Cleanrooms Benefit from the New Facility?

Data Center

Educational Article

Is Air Cooling Still Vital in the Liquid Cooling Transition?

Gordon Johnson, Subzero Engineering’s Senior CFD Manager, examines how air cooling remains critical for data center memory storage and containment systems

By Amber Jackson
As Published on DataCentreMagazine.com

Why liquid cooling is becoming essential for AI-driven data centers—while air cooling still plays a critical role

As AI drives immense compute demands, it is expected to be the main cause of data center power demands doubling worldwide between 2022 and 2026—unless operators are able to tackle sustainability head-on to decrease rising emissions.

One of the main topics of conversation is thermal management, as GPUs continue to draw significant power densities. Cooling servers quickly has become one of the most pressing challenges in a hyperscale data center environment, particularly as traditional air cooling systems can no longer keep up with the demands of AI workloads.

To dig into this further, Subzero Engineering’s Senior CFD Manager, Gordon Johnson, shares his analysis that liquid cooling has quickly become the new norm for data centers of the future—but that air cooling is still required.

“Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), and specifically Direct-to-Chip (DTC), is now essential for controlling heat,” he says. “However, about 25% of the heat produced by IT equipment still needs to be expelled through the air, especially from secondary parts such as memory subsystems, storage, and power delivery circuits.

“It is impossible to overlook this heat residue, and that’s where traditional airflow strategies are still needed, albeit in a supporting role.”

Confronting hyperscale cooling challenges

Gordon explains that hyperscale operators are seeing a sharp rise in OPEX from both power and cooling, given that it has become one of their most significant challenges.

“In recent years, power and cooling have become strategic levers and margin killers in hyperscale operations,” he says. “If you’re operating at scale, your P&L is directly tied to your power and cooling intelligence.

“Those who get it right will widen their advantage. Those who don’t could find AI infrastructure becoming financially unsustainable.”

He argues that efficiency is no longer just best practice, as—despite the rise of renewable energy resources—AI is effectively slowing down decarbonization.

“Data centers’ energy usage is driven by the fact that advancements in AI model performance frequently result in larger models and more inference, raising energy costs and contributing to sustainability challenges,” he explains.

“AI needs to get more efficient, not just more powerful.”

Energy consumption remains a key concern as AI continues to boom. Once deployed, these models require an enormous amount of inference infrastructure to process countless queries every day.

“Modern AI GPUs are now drawing upwards of 500 watts per chip,” Gordon says. “Hyperscale data centers that once operated in the 10–30 kW/rack range are now pushing 80–120 kW/rack to support AI training and inference.

“With air cooling limited to about 30–40 kW/rack, the air just cannot carry the created heat quickly enough, even with optimal containment and supply airflow.”

Embracing air cooling in direct liquid cooling

Higher compute density, increased energy efficiency, and more reliable thermal control at the component level are all made possible for hyperscale operators by DLC—and specifically DTC.

Gordon says: “It is a practical means of maintaining the safe thermal working range of contemporary CPUs and GPUs. DLC also permits higher incoming air temperatures, reducing reliance on traditional HVAC systems and chillers.”

However, he argues that advanced DTC systems do not eliminate the need for air cooling.

“Air cooling is necessary even with the most sophisticated DTC systems,” he says. “The cooling of non-critical components, cabinet pressurization, and residual heat evacuation still require airflow.”

Additionally, hot and cold aisle containment systems have been proven to separate the hot exhaust air from the cold intake air effectively.

“Efficiency increases can result in a cooling energy decrease of 10–30%,” Gordon says. “Containment is essential for optimizing the performance of air-cooled systems in legacy settings.

“Raised flooring, hot/cold aisles, and containment systems are becoming progressively more crucial in environments that are transitional or hybrid (liquid + air cooled).

“These airflow techniques aid in the separation of AI-specific and older infrastructure in mixed-use data centers. However, in modern AI racks, air cooling is the supporting act rather than the main attraction.”

For operators managing large megawatts of IT load, hot/cold aisle containment is one of the most cost-effective and space-saving solutions available. Gordon explains that making slight improvements to airflow containment can ultimately result in large-scale energy savings in high-density settings.

“By stabilizing temperature zones and lowering fluctuation, this improves cooling system responsiveness while lowering chiller load and encouraging energy-reuse initiatives,” he explains.

“Hot/cold aisle containment is no longer just a best practice—it is becoming a critical optimization layer in tomorrow’s high-performance, high-efficiency data centers.

“For operators managing hundreds of megawatts of IT load, hot/cold aisle containment is still one of the most cost-effective, space-efficient tools available.”

Where does the industry go from here?

As the data center industry continues to transition toward liquid cooling adoption, Gordon is eager for operators to understand that air cooling will remain relevant.

He explains that air management in the cooling stack is changing from a primary to a supporting, yet essential, system—highlighting that the industry is improving and re-integrating traditional tactics alongside cutting-edge liquid systems rather than discarding them.

“Hyperscalers are under constant examination to meet net-zero targets. In addition to complying with energy efficiency regulations, the hybrid solution offers data center operators a way to transition from conventional air-cooled facilities to liquid-readiness without requiring complete overhauls,” he says.

“With high-density AI workloads, air cooling just cannot keep up. It’s a physical limitation. Hybrid methods that combine regulated airflow with DLC are now the engineering benchmark for scalable, effective, and future-ready data centers.”

READ THE ARTICLE AT DATA CENTRE MAGAZINE

Data Center

Educational Article

Optimizing for Sustainability

Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager for Subzero Engineering, outlines the need for sustainability in data center operations and highlights how optimized strategies can reduce energy waste and environmental impact.

By Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager at Subzero Engineering
As Published in Data Centre & Network News

An Environmental Cost

As essential as data centers are to our increasingly digital lives, they come at a huge environmental cost to our planet.

It doesn’t help that much of the energy required to power them is still sourced from fossil fuels. It’s one of the reasons that the industry has been identified as a major contributor to climate change.

Given the growing environmental concerns, it is now an urgent necessity to transition to sustainable, renewable energy sources, energy-efficient technologies, and recyclable materials. To impose the importance of net zero, governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are seeking to implement stricter environmental policies to meet global climate goals.

The adoption of sustainable design ensures adherence to these regulations. Furthermore, as sustainability becomes a crucial component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for many organizations, and more consumers and businesses are favoring companies with strong environmental commitments, a strong sustainability policy can yield a competitive advantage in a tough marketplace.

Transitioning from White to Green

White space, as it relates to data centers, is the space inside a building devoted to IT hardware, such as servers, storage, and networking components. It is a highly controlled environment with restricted access, monitored for temperature, humidity, and other factors critical to maintaining the health of IT systems.

Increasing demand for data center performance and capacity while at the same time reducing operating costs requires an efficient use of white space. What could the transformation from white space to green building offer? And can it still deliver on operational excellence?

Incorporating renewable energy sources and embracing natural power supplies, such as wind or solar, enables operational efficiencies to be raised, cooling requirements reduced, and CO₂ emissions to be significantly reduced.

In addition, construction using recycled and recyclable materials also supports global initiatives in combating climate change, reducing waste, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Building Certifications

According to the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, data centers are one of the most energy-intensive building types, consuming 10 to 50 times the energy per floor space of a typical commercial office building. This energy consumption is only expected to increase due to high intensity emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Global green building certifications, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), are heralding a new era of environmentally sustainable practices. These certifications set a framework for integrating recycled and recyclable materials with measurable benchmarks for sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Globally recognized green building certifications and standards that evaluate the environmental impact and performance of buildings are essential in promoting environmentally conscious design in contemporary infrastructure. Internationally recognized indicators give data centers the means to demonstrate their commitment to minimizing environmental impact, and set a bar for best practice in sustainable construction and operation. This encourages industry-wide adoption, opening the door for a more sustainable future.

Balancing Costs and Sustainability

Transitioning to greener materials and practices offers significant environmental benefits, but it also raises questions about cost. Does the investment in recyclable, green materials balance the return on investment?

Upfront costs of adopting green building practices are indeed high, particularly in legacy data centers, but the long-term financial benefits are indisputable. Over time, utilizing energy-efficient designs and systems can lead to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by reducing power and operational expenses.

Integrating renewables can also decrease organizations’ reliance on fossil fuels, helping them to better manage any future energy challenges. Additionally, data centers that actively pursue net zero initiatives can enhance their brand perception by complying with regulations, benefiting from a value that is difficult to quantify.

These benefits justify the initial investment. When evaluating costs concerning TCO, the argument for both financial and environmental sustainability is compelling.

The Power of Collective Responsibility

While data centers have an unavoidable influence on the environment, the industry is quickly establishing itself as a leader in environmental sustainability by implementing a variety of net zero strategies. However, all industry stakeholders need to play a role in the collective accountability for an environmentally friendly future.

Partnerships are integral to this collaborative approach. From operators adopting renewable energy sources to designers innovating with eco-friendly materials, investors funding sustainability projects to policymakers incentivizing green practices; we are all answerable in the acceleration of sustainable operation.

Setting an Example

Taking decisive action is the first step to sustainability. The choice of being a sustainability leader yields benefits beyond the environment; it brings about a positive change chain reaction, a ripple effect across all industries. Positive transformation inspires and influences all sectors and markets.

Adopting this role of responsibility leverages a legacy of accountability and investment in sustainability, with the long-lasting positive impact on the globe to be enjoyed by the next generation of technology entrepreneurs.

READ THE ARTICLE AT DCNN (Page 28 & 29)

About the writer

Gordon Johnson is the Senior CFD Engineer at Subzero Engineering, responsible for planning and managing all CFD-related jobs in the US and worldwide.

He has over 25 years of experience in the data center industry which includes data center energy efficiency assessments, CFD modeling, and disaster recovery.  He is a certified US Department of Energy Data Center Energy Practitioner (DCEP), a certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP), and holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. 

Company

Educational Article

Shane Kilfoil of Subzero Engineering On The 5 Best Ways to Drive Product Growth

Commitment. Once the resources required have been identified, are we truly committed? While we’re not a small organization, we’re not a large one either and there is only so much we can do at any given time. This is probably the most important step because if we are committed, then all the other preceding things are worth it. If we’re not, but still start the project, it has a high likelihood of failing.

An Interview with Shane Kilfoil by Rachel Kline published on medium.com

In the realm of business, particularly with regard to tech products, growth is the key to success. However, navigating the journey from ideation to expansion presents its own unique set of challenges. How does one devise a strategy to ensure sustained growth of a product in a competitive marketplace? What are the best practices, strategies, and methodologies to accomplish this? In this interview series, we would like to speak to experienced professionals who have successfully driven product growth. As part of this series, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewingShane Kilfoil.

Shane Kilfoil, currently serving as President of Subzero Engineering and Simplex, brings to the role a wealth of experience gained over 25 years in leadership positions across the Industrial and IT sectors on a global scale. Notably, he served as the Senior Vice President Global Sales and Marketing for Tripp Lite, showcasing his strategic prowess. With an 11-year tenure at Eaton, including a role as Managing Director of Africa, Shane’s versatility extends from sales to product management. Holding a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Nelson Mandela University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management.

At the helm of Subzero Engineering, a global leader in critical environment solutions, Shane drives sustainability, efficiency, and innovation. Leading with a customer-centric approach, he actively engages major providers, ensuring Subzero Engineering remains a frontrunner by developing cutting-edge, next-generation solutions. Shane Kilfoil’s leadership continues to propel Subzero Engineering to success in the dynamic and evolving global critical environments market, solidifying its status as an industry leader.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before diving in, our readers would love to learn more about you. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Shane Kilfoil. I was born, raised, and educated in South Africa, and I take great pride in my heritage. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of working in various countries around the world. I’ve lived in the UK for several years, worked in the US, and returned to South Africa as an expat for an assignment. My work experience is extensive and diverse, encompassing roles in field service, engineering, sales, product marketing, product management, and general management, which is my current focus.

What led you to this specific career path?

I studied electrical engineering but quickly realized it wasn’t my forte, so I transitioned to the commercial side. I was fortunate to have mentors who were far more knowledgeable than I was at the time, and they helped guide me down a different career path. Over the years, I discovered my passion for general management. I began to focus more on this area and seized opportunities that guided me down this path. That’s how I arrived at where I am today — initially being guided by others and gradually becoming more decisive as I identified my passion for leading teams and companies.

Can you share the most exciting story that has happened to you since you began at your company?

The most exciting aspect for me has been witnessing the company’s transformation over the past 36 months. We’ve evolved from a niche player in containment to a team capable of supporting our customers’ needs in a fast-paced and ever-changing data center environment. This transformation has allowed the organization to blossom and grow. Our team now tackles opportunities head-on, driving and fulfilling custom products while still meeting our core business needs. I don’t think we could have achieved this 36 months ago. Seeing the organization’s development is incredibly exciting for me.

You’re a successful business leader. What are three traits about yourself that you feel helped fuel your success? Can you share a story or example for each?

I firmly believe in building a robust and diverse team. A group of experts who collaborate effectively is far more powerful than relying on a single person. At Subzero Engineering, our rapid growth is driven by a strong leadership team that promotes our shared values. My role is to remove any barriers they face. Having a team of skilled individuals not only enhances our company’s success but also improves our perceived capabilities from our customers.
In my position it is important to see the big picture and help the organization translate that vision into actionable tactics. All too often teams embark on a project that is not aligned with their company’s goals. In these instances, you must evaluate the project, see if it can add significant value or halt it. Companies have finite resources and unfortunately you cannot take them all on. It is my job to help the team understand which project helps us meet our corporate goals and which do not. When changing a project’s direction or ending it, I ensure that teams understand the reasoning behind the decision. Understanding why a decision is made makes it easier to accept decisions, even if we don’t always agree.
I am passionate about the businesses I work in and the customers we serve. However, I know this energy needs to be tempered at times. Not everyone is motivated the same way, and I need to ensure that I don’t overwhelm the teams with my ideas. However, during tough times, passion and energy can help pull a team together and motivate individuals to get them through the rough patch.

Do you have any mentors or experiences that have particularly influenced you?

Mentors come in many different forms. I like to think that my team mentors me daily, helping me become a more successful leader. Throughout my career, several influential people have guided me at various stages, each of them fundamentally shaping who I am today.

I was once told that if you can trust your team and allow them to guide your leadership style, their open and honest feedback can make you a better leader. I’ve tried to live by this advice for the past decade. It can be humbling because you might think you’re doing well, only to learn from your team that you’re not performing as well as you thought. However, if open dialogue and feedback are maintained and you’re willing to act on it, you can improve. This has been a significant learning curve, one that my mentors have strongly encouraged me to embrace.

What have been the most effective tactics your organization has used to accelerate product growth?

Our organization has been evolving. For many years, we were known as innovators, but over a three-to-five-year period, we stagnated. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to innovate; we were just so focused on day-to-day operations and executing incoming business that innovation took a back seat.

In the past two years, we’ve addressed this. It wasn’t a specific tactic but rather a recognition that we needed to do more to stay relevant. We identified key individuals and created teams around them that are dedicated solely to innovation. Some focus on driving innovation with specific customers, while others concentrate on the broader business. These teams wake up every day thinking about innovation, allowing them to avoid distractions from daily operations. This dedicated focus has significantly accelerated our innovation mentality and processes within the organization.

What do you see as the biggest challenge with respect to scaling a product-led business?

Not believing in your business plan or strategy and being distracted by the “new shiny object”! At the start of the year, businesses set a budget and strategy, but it’s easy to get distracted by new opportunities that occur during the year. While these opportunities should be considered, deviating from the original business plan to pursue a different direction can severely impact annual performance if not correctly thought through. It’s crucial to balance seizing new opportunities with staying focused on the end goal.

What, in your view, is a good litmus test to screen for a skilled and effective growth manager?

Initially, it’s important to look for someone with a track record of developing and bringing similar products to market. Throughout my career, I’ve hired people with different skill sets to drive growth, depending on the business’s maturity cycle and the type of development or growth needed.

However, it’s also crucial to ensure that whoever you’re hiring can fit within your company culture, regardless of their experience. If someone looks great on paper but doesn’t fit within that culture, there can be a clash. A highly successful person can become combative or unsuccessful if they don’t align with the culture. So, you must ask yourself: despite their technical capabilities, does the hire have the right personality to fit within the organization?

Of course, you might need someone to proactively change the company culture, and that’s a different hire. However, if you have a business that is trying to accelerate and you believe you’re doing all the right things elsewhere, then fitting within that culture is vitally important.

Can you describe a product growth tactic you or your team has used that was more effective than you anticipated? What was the goal, how did you execute, and what was the outcome?

The most effective product growth strategies often come from listening to customers and solving a problem that they have. If one customer has a problem that you can solve, you might be able to solve other customers problems.

One transformative opportunity came from a customer who reached out through our website, asking if we could develop a solution for them. At the time, this request wasn’t our focus, and although they were a large customer, we might have ordinarily walked away. However, the timing worked out as we were looking to reboot our product development cycle. The customer was passionate and helped us understand the potential benefits, not just for us but for the wider industry. We took a risk and spent a year developing a product solution without any promise of a purchase order. Now, 24 months later, this has led to significant transformation in a sector of our business that we had not anticipated participating in.

Customers can provide the most beneficial ideas because they have challenges that need resolution. As an organization, we have refocused our efforts on having a mindful approach to solve customer issues in a proactive way. We believe that this is what sets us apart from our competitors.

Thank you for all of that. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience, what are your “5 Best Ways to Drive Product Growth”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

Is it core to the business?
The starting point is always, is this core to our business? Is it a natural adjacency? Does it add to something that we’ve already got that strengthens our existing base business?
Payback.
If it is core to our business, do we do it? Is the payback worth the investment, depending on what that investment is? Do we have the resources that can support that investment?
Resources.
If the idea is good, do you have the resources?
Finding resources.
If resources are lacking, how hard would it be to get those resources. Can they be hired? Can they be bought? Can those resources be acquired to aid the success of the project?
Commitment.
Once the resources required have been identified, are we truly committed? While we’re not a small organization, we’re not a large one either and there is only so much we can do at any given time. This is probably the most important step because if we are committed, then all the other preceding things are worth it. If we’re not, but still start the project, it has a high likelihood of failing.

What is the number one mistake you see product marketers make that may actually be hurting their growth outcomes?

Not enough people halt failing projects. In any engineering team or project management team, once you start a project, it feels like your child — you feel personally connected and responsible for it. However, sometimes during development you realize the project isn’t going to meet the customer or project requirements. Teams are typically reluctant to kill a project at this stage, especially when significant financial and emotional investment has already been committed.

Companies need to create an environment where it’s okay to be wrong. Things change, and as a result, the solution or initiative may no longer be relevant or won’t provide the expected return. It’s not necessarily a failure on the project team; you just don’t always get it right.

This is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned and one of the main struggles I’ve seen product marketing teams face. We need to regularly ask ourselves if the projects being worked on are still relevant. If not, then we need to be ok in reallocating resources to other more important or strategic projects that help the company realize their vision. Having a robust process that helps this ensures that you are always maximizing your company’s resources.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!

Read the Article on medium.com here

Data Center

Educational Article

The Rise of AI Data Center Models and the Decline of the General-Purpose Data Center

We’re slowly beginning to see a shift toward purpose-built AI data centers, especially from hyperscalers like AWS, Google, and Microsoft. With the latest announcement from the White House in their AI Action Plan, the US Government has formalized exporting American AI across the world, and promoting the rapid buildout of data centers and AI-focused infrastructure, making this shift simpler to implement.

These aren’t just scaled-up legacy setups, however. They’re designed from the ground up for AI workloads and require specific infrastructure, particularly in power delivery and cooling infrastructure. But what do they need that separates them from the ‘standard’ facility, and what makes it so challenging to try to retrofit legacy data centers for these?

By Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager at Subzero Engineering

AI infrastructure demands

AI is quickly becoming the dominant consumer of compute, and traditional infrastructure just can’t keep up. The industry is shifting to fundamentally new architectures and data centers that don’t adapt will be left behind as the industry transitions to radically new designs, which is where the US White House announcement in unveiling their AI Action Plan is helping to accelerate the development of AI infrastructure across the country. But its main focus on the rapid buildout of AI-ready data centers, exporting AI technology, and a more targeted focus on the infrastructure required to support this shift, reflects what hyperscalers are doing.

It is hard to overlook the infrastructure constraints of traditional data centers as AI workloads grow in complexity and scale. We’re entering a new era in data infrastructure, one that legacy data centers weren’t built to handle. To address the specific requirements of large-scale artificial intelligence, top hyperscalers such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft are spearheading the evolution by building a new class of data center from the ground up: AI-native infrastructure.

Why can’t legacy facilities handle AI’s demands?

Legacy data centers were designed for general-purpose computing. They were built to account for predictable workloads, with moderate power usage and flexible hardware.

AI has different needs and many legacy data centers are unsuitable for the task due to the scope and intricacy of the criteria.

AI workloads are vastly more power intensive than traditional workloads. They require three to ten times as much electricity per rack, therefore merely adding extra GPUs to the same old racks is not an option. The extreme heat produced by CPUs, GPUs, and TPUs cannot be controlled using conventional air-cooling methods, so in meeting the requirements of contemporary AI, liquid cooling infrastructure such as direct-to-chip becomes necessary.

Unpredictable bursts of energy required for ultra-fast connections between thousands of nodes are necessary for AI training, and the requirement for densely populated, high-performance clusters conflicts with the sprawl of traditional data halls. Long cable runs and low-density racks can increase latency, reducing performance for large AI jobs. This kind of infrastructure concern is exactly why this AI Action Plan couldn’t have come at a better time, with targets to fund next-gen, resilient digital infrastructure and collaboration between public and private organisation on AI system reliability and performance.

Legacy Data Centers Built for Yesterday

Legacy data centers were built for yesterday’s workloads. AI isn’t just demanding more, it’s demanding different. Hyperscalers know it, and they’re not waiting around. The future of digital infrastructure is being redefined by the emergence of the purpose-built AI data center era.

Retrofitting an existing data center for AI isn’t easy. Typically, data centers will need to leverage their existing investments in air cooling while selectively deploying liquid cooling where needed. Although infrastructure can be reworked and redesigned, concessions will always need to be made. These compromises could come at the expense of performance and efficiency. Power availability (typically capped at the site level) and cooling capacity (particularly in raised-floor environments), while rack weight and floor loading, together with ceiling height restrictions that reduce airflow design, are physical constraints on most older sites. Add in the layout obstructions and interconnect distances that cause latency bottlenecks, and this could be a compromise too far.

What Makes AI Workloads Different

Traditional data centers tend to average 5–20 kW per rack, whereas the power draw per rack due to AI workloads can be significantly higher than traditional compute, pushing 30–100 kW per rack or higher. Infrastructure needs to be approached very differently to support this degree of power density, as on-site substations, busways, and high-capacity PDUs are increasingly the standard rather than the exception.

AI workloads are inherently unforgiving of infrastructure failures. While traditional workloads can often handle transient faults or recover from minor slowdowns, AI training that is running for days or weeks requires near-perfect uptime, clean compute environments, and dependable performance. Even small variations or inconsistencies in hardware, firmware, or thermal performance can be catastrophic. Not because it can’t recover, but because the cost of failure is so high, with every crash potentially hours (or days) of lost compute, wasted energy, and missed opportunity.

Designing for AI

To unlock the full value of AI, the AI data center infrastructure must evolve. AI demands infrastructure that’s not just fault-tolerant, but fault-predictive and self-healing.

When embarking on a new data center build, you must consider:

High-Density Power and Cooling
Custom power paths must be able to handle 80–100kW racks or more, while air cooling, the mainstay of legacy facilities is not enough. Advanced thermal strategies such as liquid cooling and direct-to-chip solutions must be integrated into the infrastructure of the AI data center.
Architecture
Physical GPU/TPU cluster layouts need to be optimized to ensure latency is minimized and training throughput maximized. Consolidated floorplans and thermal awareness allows for increased efficiency, faster deployment, and future expansion.
AI-Centric Design
Real-time predictive failure monitoring and telemetry should be used on every component from temperature to power draw. Machine learning-based fault prediction isn’t optional anymore. It’s how downtime can be preempted, and uptime can be optimized.
Sustainability
Carbon-neutral power resources, energy storage, recycling and reusing waste heat output and using alternative building materials can all assist with sustainability and environmentally friendly policies and strategies. Adherence to green strategies can not only improve the facility’s efficiency but can provide competitive advantage.

Legacy data centers were designed for flexible, general-purpose compute. However, AI clusters depend on ultra-low-latency interconnects between accelerators. That changes everything from the physical layout to how cable trays are built. New facilities need to be dense, compact, and often modular designed to reduce data movement friction.

Bigger and Better

AI data centers aren’t just bigger — they’re different by design. Larger footprints are not a luxury but rather a necessity to accommodate the density and specialized layout, thermal management and performance characteristics AI environments.

With the White House calling for more land and more power, hyperscalers are starting to plan and construct data centers in pod-based, modular designs that are tailored for AI workloads and optimized for independent cooling, powering, and scaling. Workloads are not distributed equally throughout the data center by AI clusters. Rather, concentrated compute pods (hundreds to thousands of GPUs in a tightly integrated fabric) are needed, calling for larger real estate to accommodate the GPU/TPU cages or liquid-cooled racks, zoning to isolate various workloads and effectively manage thermal loads, and a larger whitespace per cluster to accommodate power, cooling, and cabling routes.

Space is needed to manage the significant heat produced by high-density AI workloads, for heat exchange devices, immersion tanks, liquid cooling loops, and greater hot/cold aisle separations, often with isolated or enclosed cooling corridors.

Each pod needs short, direct power paths, larger substations, and dedicated power rooms. They also require extra room for redundant switchgear, transformers, and UPS systems, as well as increased floor loads and reinforced infrastructure to support denser, heavier racks.

A Fundamental Rethink

The White House’s AI Action Plan reinforces what industry leaders are starting to adopt, that companies that are already leading in AI-native infrastructure are paving the way forward for AI, and this transformation needs to be seen across the industry. Hyperscalers aren’t building these new AI driven data centers because they’re trendy or because they want the biggest facility. It’s because it’s necessary. AI is not an experimental upgrade cycle. It’s fundamental infrastructure. And with any foundational shift in computing, it demands a matching evolution in physical and digital architecture.

Companies that continue trying to run next-generation AI on last-generation infrastructure will find themselves bottlenecked in performance, efficiency and ultimately competitiveness. The AI-native future is rapidly overshadowing the computing era for which legacy data centers were constructed.

For this reason, hyperscalers are designing data centers that embrace and give priority to specially designed AI infrastructure. They are not merely scaled up facilities. They are precision engineered, and offer the performance, resilience, and AI acceleration that will define the next decade.

About the writer

Gordon Johnson is the Senior CFD Engineer at Subzero Engineering, responsible for planning and managing all CFD-related jobs in the US and worldwide.

Data Center

Educational Article

Is Liquid Cooling Becoming Non-Negotiable?

Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), especially Direct-to-Chip Cooling (DTC), is now essential for high-density AI racks. DLC enables higher compute densities and better energy efficiency.

Air cooling alone can’t keep up with the thermal output of modern CPUs and GPUs, but even with advanced DTC, approximately 25% of ITE heat still needs air cooling.

Cold and hot aisle containment is a tried-and-tested climate control strategy that separates the two airflows while improving energy efficiency. For energy savings that can’t be ignored, should hot/cold aisle containment be considered a necessity in hyperscale data centers?

By Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager at Subzero Engineering

Introduction

AI workloads are driving unprecedented compute demand. Not only is the demand intensifying rather than decreasing, it is also altering the economics and structure of computing at all levels.

AI is expected to be the primary cause of the anticipated doubling of data center power demand worldwide between 2022 and 2026 and, unless offset, increased compute = increased emissions.

With GPUs drawing up to 700W each and power densities exceeding 80–100 kW per rack, thermal management has become one of the most critical challenges in hyperscale environments. Conventional air-cooling techniques can no longer keep up with the thermal densities of contemporary AI workloads and liquid cooling is no longer just a viable option for the future. It has become the new norm.

Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), and specifically Direct-to-Chip (DTC), is now essential for controlling heat. However, about 25% of the heat produced by IT equipment still needs to be expelled through the air, especially from secondary parts such as memory subsystems, storage and power delivery circuits. It is impossible to overlook this heat residue, and that’s where traditional airflow strategies are still needed, albeit in a supporting role.

Challenges

Hyperscale operators are seeing a sharp rise in OPEX from both power and cooling, and it’s becoming one of their most pressing financial and operational challenges.

In recent years, power and cooling have become strategic levers and margin killers in hyperscale operations. If you’re operating at scale, your P&L is directly tied to your power and cooling intelligence. Those who get it right will widen their advantage. Those who don’t could find AI infrastructure becoming financially unsustainable.

Efficiency is no longer just best practice

Many hyperscalers have already hit PUEs of 1.1–1.2, limiting room for improvement and further efficiency gains. This suggests that absolute power usage is now rising even if relative efficiency stays the same. In high-density environments, even marginal improvements in airflow containment can lead to significant energy savings.

Despite the rise of renewable energy resources, AI is effectively slowing down decarbonization. Data centers’ energy usage is driven by the fact that advancements in AI model performance frequently result in larger models and more inference, raising energy costs and contributing to sustainability challenges. AI needs to get more efficient, not just more powerful.

Air-Cooling Limits

Millions of kWh of electricity are needed to train large-scale AI models like GPT-4, Gemini or Claude-class. The scale of this energy consumption is one of the key concerns of the modern AI era. Once deployed, these models require an enormous amount of inference infrastructure to process the countless number of queries every day, and this can exceed training energy usage.

Modern AI GPUs (like NVIDIA H100 or AMD MI300X) are now drawing upwards of 500 watts per chip. Hyperscale data centers that once operated in the 10–30 kW/rack range are now pushing 80–120 kW/rack to support AI training and inference. With air cooling limited to about 30–40 kW/rack, the air just cannot carry the created heat quickly enough, even with optimal containment and supply airflow.

Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC)

Higher compute density, increased energy efficiency, and more reliable thermal control at the component level are all made possible for hyperscale operators by DLC, specifically DTC. It is a practical means of maintaining the safe thermal working range of contemporary CPUs and GPUs. DLC also permits higher incoming air temperatures, reducing reliance on traditional HVAC systems and chillers.

In addition, Direct-to-Chip (DTC) can reduce overall cooling energy (PUE impact) by up to 40%, when compared to traditional air systems, by targeting cooling directly to the hottest components. However, even the most advanced ~~DLC/~~DTC systems do not eliminate the need for air cooling. Air cooling is necessary even with the most sophisticated DTC systems. The cooling of non-critical components, cabinet pressurization and residual heat evacuation still require airflow.

Hot/Cold Aisle Containment

Hot/cold aisle containment is a proven architectural strategy that separates the hot exhaust air from the cold intake air. Through containment, the two air temperatures are kept from mixing, meaning colder air is ensured, servers are reached more directly, cooling load is decreased and thermal predictability is enhanced. Efficiency increases can result in a cooling energy decrease of 10–30%. Containment is essential for optimizing the performance of air-cooled systems in legacy settings.

Raised flooring, hot/cold aisles, and containment systems are becoming progressively more crucial in environments that are transitional or hybrid (liquid + air cooled). These airflow techniques aid in the separation of AI-specific and older infrastructure in mixed-use data centers. However, in modern AI racks, air cooling is the supporting act rather than the main attraction.

The Case for Containment

For operators managing tens or hundreds of megawatts of IT load, hot/cold aisle containment is one of the most cost-effective and space-saving solutions available.

Even with DTC intensive systems, containment is not obsolete. Modest improvements to airflow containment can result in large-scale energy savings in high-density settings. By absorbing and diverting leftover heat from partially liquid-cooled equipment, containment enhances airflow circulation to secondary components. By stabilizing temperature zones and lowering fluctuation, this improves cooling system responsiveness while lowering chiller load and encouraging energy-reuse initiatives.

Hot/cold aisle containment is no longer just a best practice; it is becoming a critical optimization layer in tomorrow’s high-performance, high-efficiency data centers. For operators managing hundreds of megawatts of IT load, hot/cold aisle containment is still one of the most cost-effective, space-efficient tools available.

Conclusion

As hyperscale operators transition to liquid-cooled infrastructure, the expectation might be that airflow strategies will become irrelevant. But the reverse is happening. In the cooling stack, air management is changing from a primary to a supporting, yet essential, system. The industry is improving and re-integrating traditional tactics alongside cutting-edge liquid systems rather than discarding them.

Hyperscalers are under constant examination to meet net-zero targets. In addition to complying with energy efficiency regulations, the hybrid solution offers data center operators a way to transition from conventional air-cooled facilities to liquid-readiness without requiring complete overhauls.

With high-density AI workloads, air cooling just cannot keep up. It’s a limitation of physical limitation. Hybrid methods that combine regulated airflow with DLC are now the engineering benchmark for scalable, effective, and future-ready data centers.

About the writer

Gordon Johnson is the Senior CFD Engineer at Subzero Engineering, responsible for planning and managing all CFD-related jobs in the US and worldwide.

Data Center

Educational Article

Optimizing Containment for Sustainable Data Center Goals: Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Environmental Impact

Discover how optimized containment strategies and sustainable Composite AisleFrame (CAF) systems can reduce data center carbon emissions by up to 4,299 kg CO₂ per frame while improving operational efficiency and cutting costs.

By Andy Conner, Channel Director EMEAr at Subzero Engineering

Introduction

Environmental consciousness is not just a trend. We can’t rapidly mend the hole in the ozone layer and climate change concerns won’t be undermined by ever-evolving technology any time soon. Humankind has a collective responsibility to reduce our carbon emissions, to lower waste, and to change the way we create and use energy in our day-to-day lives. However, it’s a constant challenge for organizations to balance scalability, operational efficiency and power resourcefulness with sustainability objectives.

Data centers are hugely energy-intensive buildings. Handling an increasingly growing capacity and complexity of AI and high-performance computing (HPC) means they are consistently using an aggressive amount of power and energy. It’s imperative that we minimize the environmental impact of these buildings, reducing the power consumed while maximizing the energy that is used. New strategies need to be implemented, sustainable materials deployed, and a mindset change to get to net zero and stay there.

Goals and Objectives

Reduce, recycle, and reuse policies should be integrated in every organization’s core values; however, longer-term environmental goals that support a sustainable infrastructure built with energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources must be considered when redesigning or extending legacy data center facilities, or building new ones.

One of the best strategies to accomplish sustainability objectives in these buildings is by utilizing optimized containment. Optimizing containment is a vital first step toward achieving a sustainable data center and can significantly reduce unfavorable environmental consequences.

After the ITE, cooling is the biggest consumer of a facility’s energy resources. Containment strategies decrease energy waste and efficiently regulate airflow. This enables data centers to maximize and boost operational efficiency while minimizing their impact on the environment.

Utilizing containment helps maintain consistent thermal temperatures and increases cooling effectiveness by keeping the hot and cold air streams separate, enabling a regulated airflow environment and increasing the efficiency of the cooling systems. This way data centers can conserve energy, not consume more.

Traditionally, an AisleFrame containment system is made of steel. This provides an integral floor supported structure that physically separates the cooled and expelled hot air. With excellent sustainability credentials, steel is 100% recyclable and can be melted down and reused time and again without deterioration. Through closed-loop recycling, every ton of steel scrap recovered can replace one ton of primary steelmaking while keeping its integrity in terms of properties or performance. In addition, steel’s long lifespan and minimal maintenance requirements contribute to its overall sustainability attestation. On the flip side however, decarbonizing remains a challenge and a global priority, and steelmaking currently contributes around 8% of the world’s total carbon emissions.

The Alternative

Composite AisleFrame (CAF) is a system made from alternative and sustainable materials ~~100%~~ and is a frame-based, floor supported structure for IT/HPC deployments. Used in the construction industry for more than 20 years in many proven applications, such as airplane tail structures, outdoor utility/telephone poles, and transportation bridges, this composite material has now been refined for specific use in data centers to be denser, stronger, and with additional fireproof properties.

CAF has many benefits compared with a Steel AisleFrame system. Every element in a data center has an intrinsic cost that needs to be accounted for, and steel is a heavy material. This translates to high transit costs and increased installation times that must be factored into the build.

In comparison, CAF material is 50% lighter than steel alternatives. It can be installed swiftly without the need for powder coating and is easily reconfigurable as requirements change, offering more flexibility and easier scalability. It can be reused multiple times and has an extended lifespan over steel, supporting waste reduction and net-zero initiatives, leading to lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It can be flat-packed, allowing more product to be shipped in the same physical footprint, and delivers on lower transportation emissions and costs, offering up to 4,299 kg CO₂ savings per frame compared with non-recycled steel and up to 429 kg CO₂ savings per frame compared with recycled steel.

CAF’s strength per linear meter and its seismic compliance enable multi-level data centers to have CAF systems running throughout each building floor without the additional financial risk of having to strengthen weight-bearing floors. Its higher tensile and flexural attributes, with a better compressive strength-to-weight ratio than steel, mean CAF is more efficient structurally.

While steel is resource-heavy, CAF is non-resource-heavy in implementation. This means the CAF system can be delivered and installed in a fast and time-appropriate fashion. A steel structure can potentially take months to be shipped, but CAF could conceivably be delivered in weeks.

Conclusion

Optimizing cooling by separating the hot and cold air can ensure stable and consistent temperature distribution. By improving energy efficiency and overall cooling effectiveness, this can deliver on significant energy savings.

As the industry shifts to using greener technology, the development of a sustainable infrastructure built with energy-efficient technologies ~~and recycled materia~~ls continues to be a key strategy in the next generation of high-performance data centers.

Renowned for being hugely power-intensive buildings, data center operatives must constantly investigate strategies and technologies to lower their TCO. Whether restructuring, redesigning, or building from scratch, the cost savings accredited to CAF can contribute to a much quicker return on investment in data center infrastructure. And it’s a win-win when you’re lowering operational costs and optimizing the facility’s high performance and reliability at the same time as achieving long-term global environmental objectives.

About the writer
Gordon Johnson is the Senior CFD Engineer at Subzero Engineering, responsible for planning and managing all CFD-related jobs in the US and worldwide.

Data Center

Team

Deep Dive: Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager, Subzero Engineering

Interview with Gordon Johnson for www.intelligentdatacentres.com

Data Center Industry Interview

What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the data center industry?

It’s hard to settle on just one memorable event, but I fondly recall working on a project for a large data center customer that was still in the design phase. My modeling showed that with some simple design changes, the customer could increase supply temperatures and lower airflow, resulting in an annual savings of approximately US$400,000. The customer made the recommended changes from the modeling and about two years later after the facility was up and operating, I received a call, claiming my energy savings and annual operating costs were on the conservative side.

They estimated they had saved closer to US$500,000 in operating costs in just one year and had simultaneously made a major impact in reducing their CO2 footprint. This is not a one-time event either. I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years, and I can honestly say that anytime I can help data center operators and managers understand and save on their TCO by operating their data center as efficiently as possible is always a memorable moment for me.

What first made you think of a career in technology/data centers?

I started doing Disaster Recovery work in data centers, but soon found my passion was in the design and operating of energy efficiency data centers. This led me to reach out and obtain various certifications to help with the goal of helping our industry become as sustainable and green as possible.

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position?

I believe that a successful manager needs to possess effective communication and listening skills, and I try to apply these skills whether I’m managing or being managed. In addition, I strongly believe in the importance of showing respect to others, which includes valuing others’ beliefs, contributions and ideas. I’ve seen firsthand that this results in increased productivity, improved employee and team morale, and helps reduce turnover. Well respected employees are happier, more productive and tend to work harder with a greater sense of pride in their work. You can never go wrong when it comes to listening, communicating and showing respect to others.

What do you think is the current hot talking point within the data center space?

One hot topic is AI (Artificial Intelligence), and that some form of liquid cooling will be needed to cool our next generation data centers. While AI requires significant computing power, the reality is that it currently represents a small fraction of ITE’s global energy consumption, although that’s expected to change and increase in the next five years. Therefore, to offset the environmental impact of AI, greater control over data center energy consumption will increasingly become a top priority. We’re also going to want to look at our data center designs and especially our cooling from a holistic approach as opposed to the current one size fits all perspective.

How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?

Volunteer work has always been an important part of my life, and I find any opportunity to work with and help others to be one of the greatest stress relievers available. I also believe that exercise on a regular basis is a big stress reliever, so I try to stay as active as possible during down time. I love to play tennis, run a few local 5K events each year, and nothing helps me unwind more than daily long walks with my dog.

What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?

We’re going to need to get serious and give more attention to sustainability in our industry. This includes avoiding the ‘rip and replace’ mentality where we’re constantly replacing our cooling and ITE every few years. Smart investing and positive sustainability practices include properly specifying our hardware and cooling to last at least 10 years. In addition, if we’re planning on moving towards some form of liquid cooling during that time period, we’ll want to focus on what type of technology works best for our business case, both now and in the future.

What are the region-specific challenges you encounter in your role?

Since our industry is constantly looking towards reducing energy usage, which includes free cooling and the use of renewable power, one region-specific challenge I encounter is where to build new data centers. While many factors are involved in this decision including the availability of land, power and water, the challenge exists to find and maximize the use of colder climates for new buildings. These colder climates are naturally favorable since they reduce or sometimes even eliminate the reliance on conventional cooling systems which are energy intensive. With cooler climates we may be able to just run naturally available cold air or chilled water in the data center to reduce temperatures at the ITE, saving significantly on capital costs and reduce operational expenses.

What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the coming months?

Data centers are increasingly adopting greener practices to be more sustainable and energy efficient, and now we’re starting to see more products inside the white space being made from greener and more environmentally friendly materials. One of my roles recently has been to research and determine the GWP (Global Warming Potential) benefits of using recyclable and composite materials for both cold and hot aisle containment products. Besides further lowering the GWP and carbon footprint in the white space, these products will assist data centers to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification which proves they have reduced environmental impact, comply with regulations and are operating with enhanced efficiency.

Read the interview at Intelligent Data Centers website

Cleanrooms

Video

From Concept to Completion: The Five Phases of Cleanroom Excellence

Your Guide to Critical Environment Protection

Do you have a critical environment that demands protection through a cleanroom solution, but don’t know where to begin? Subzero Engineering has developed an educational whitepaper that walks you through the entire process of designing and building a Simplex modular cleanroom.

Unraveling the Cleanroom Construction Process

Our comprehensive whitepaper breaks down the complex journey into five manageable phases, giving you clarity and confidence at every step:

“From the initial consultation and solution concepting to manufacturing and final installation, we’re right there with you every step of the way. Subzero Engineering is committed to delivering the highest quality solutions, installation and service.”

The Five Phases of Cleanroom Construction

1. Consulting Phase

Our engineers collaborate with you to identify and understand your critical environment’s unique needs, work processes, and goals. This initial consultation sets the foundation for everything that follows.

2. Design and Layout Phase

Our experienced engineers create detailed design drawings of your cleanroom, focusing not just on a sterile environment but on a space that integrates seamlessly with your equipment and unique workflow requirements.

3. Client Review, Modification, and Approval Phase

You’ll review the plans, provide feedback, and ultimately approve the design. We believe collaboration is fundamental to ensuring our custom modular cleanrooms perfectly address your specific needs.

4. Manufacturing Phase

At our state-of-the-art 155,000 square foot facility, our skilled team meticulously builds every customized component of your cleanroom solution to exacting standards.

5. Installation Phase

You have options: our skilled site services team can manage all aspects of installation, or you can take charge. This is where your cleanroom becomes fully operational and equipped to meet your specific requirements.

Why Choose Subzero Engineering for Your Cleanroom Needs

Custom Solutions: Tailored to your unique critical environment requirements
Expert Guidance: Support at every step from consultation to installation
State-of-the-Art Manufacturing: Built in our 155,000 square foot facility
Flexible Installation Options: Choose our installation team or manage it yourself
Collaborative Approach: Your input shapes the final product

Ready to Protect Your Critical Environment?

Whether you’re a seasoned industry professional or just exploring your options, our educational whitepaper offers valuable insights into the intricacies of each phase of cleanroom construction.

Take the Next Step

Download the whitepaper today!

Cleanrooms

Educational ArticleVideo

The Five-Phase Guide to Designing Perfect Cleanrooms

Simplifying Cleanroom Design and Implementation

Designing and building a top-notch cleanroom doesn’t have to be complicated. Subzero Engineering has distilled the entire process into five straightforward yet crucial phases in our latest whitepaper.

Your All-Access Guide to Cleanroom Excellence

Our educational whitepaper breaks down the complex world of cleanroom engineering into accessible knowledge that helps you:

Understand the complete cleanroom development process
Identify the critical requirements for your specific needs
Navigate the journey from concept to completion
Ensure quality at every step of implementation

“Subzero Engineering is committed to the highest quality of product, installation and service to all of our customers. Throughout the five-phase start-to-finish process, we continuously consult with you to ensure that your cleanroom is precisely engineered to your specific needs and requirements.”

The Five-Phase Approach to Cleanroom Success

Our whitepaper details each phase of creating the perfect cleanroom environment:

Assessment & Planning: Determining your specific requirements and constraints
Design & Engineering: Creating the optimal solution for your unique needs
Manufacturing & Quality Control: Building components to exacting standards
Installation & Integration: Expert implementation with minimal disruption
Testing & Verification: Ensuring all specifications are met or exceeded

Modular Solutions for Critical Environments

Learn how our modular approach delivers advantages that traditional construction simply can’t match:

Faster implementation timeline
Superior quality control
Enhanced flexibility for future modifications
Consistent performance across installations
Reduced on-site disruption during construction

Building a Partnership You Can Trust

This whitepaper represents the first step in demonstrating our commitment to your success. At Subzero Engineering, we believe in building partnerships based on trust, transparency, and continuous consultation.

Download The Educational Whitepaper Today

Take the first step toward your perfectly engineered cleanroom solution.

Download the Whitepaper!

Data Center

Video

Unlocking Data Center Sustainability: Financial Gains Meet Environmental Responsibility

The Hidden Environmental Impact of Data Centers

In our digital-first world, data centers have become critical infrastructure—but at what cost to our environment?

Data centers account for nearly 2% of global energy consumption
Modern facilities offer untapped potential for significant sustainability improvements
Businesses face increasing pressure to meet environmental compliance standards

“Did you know data centers account for nearly 2% of global energy consumption in our industry? We have an opportunity to align financial gains with environmental responsibility.”

Actionable Sustainability Strategies

Our comprehensive whitepaper reveals how your data center—especially if built in the last five years—can become a powerful leverage point for sustainability initiatives that benefit both the planet and your bottom line.

What You’ll Learn:

Practical steps to reduce your data center’s carbon footprint
How to unlock substantial operational cost savings through green initiatives
Ways to align your facility with evolving environmental compliance requirements
Strategic approaches to green building standards for data centers
Methods for measuring and reporting your environmental impact

The Business Case for Green Data Centers

Going green isn’t just good for the environment—it’s good for business. Our whitepaper demonstrates how sustainability initiatives create a powerful dual impact:

Reduced operational costs through energy efficiency
Enhanced brand reputation with environmentally conscious stakeholders
Improved compliance with evolving regulations
Future-proofing against rising energy costs
Competitive advantage in the marketplace

Revolutionize Your Approach to Sustainability

Your data center can play a critical role in building a sustainable digital future. Our whitepaper provides the insights and strategies you need to transform your facility into an environmental and financial asset.

Download the Whitepaper Today

Ready to seize the green opportunity? Get immediate access to our comprehensive guide on data center sustainability.

Read the whitepaper

Jane Neil Of Subzero Engineering On How We Can Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics

Normalize Female Engineers: Using social media to showcase women in engineering can normalize the presence of women in these roles and make them more relatable to young girls.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering or robotics, and how can we replicate that inspiration for young girls?

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should enter the Engineering and Robotics fields?

Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics?”

In your opinion, what are the most effective ways to introduce girls to engineering and robotics at an early age?

How do you think the portrayal of women in STEM fields by media and educational materials impacts girls’ interest in engineering and robotics?

What advice would you give to girls who are interested in engineering and robotics but are hesitant to take the first step?

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

How AI is Revolutionizing the Data Center Industry

Operational Efficiency

Energy Management

Cooling

Conclusion

Harnessing the Power of Operational Scalability

The investment of time and energy resources

Scaling up

Scalability or sustainability

Change management

Industry shifts

International Women’s Day 2024

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2024, we applaud some of the women within Senneca and Subzero Engineering who buck the trend of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.

Alexa McFarlaneBuyer in the Supply Chain for Subzero Engineering

Cathy KnutsonOffice Manager & Site Services Install Team Coordinator

Chelsea TraverVice President of Finance at Senneca Holdings

Gloria HuegelVice President of Human Resources at Senneca and Subzero Engineering

Jane NeilSupply Chain Manager at Subzero Engineering

Liz CarranzaProduction Planner at Subzero Engineering

Makenna DeamerSales Application Engineer at Subzero Engineering

Yvette “Shorty” GarciaLead on Manufacturing Line at Subzero Engineering

Forging equality

#InspireInclusion

Subzero Engineering Relocates Headquarters to New State-of-the-Art Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah

Notable highlights of the relocation include:

Data Center Sustainability and CFDs

Video Overview

Further highlights include:

Simplex Cleanrooms Overview

Video Overview

Other key discussion points and takeaways from this episode include:

Video Tour of Subzero Engineering’s Massive Industry-Leading Facility

Video Overview

Is Air Cooling Still Vital in the Liquid Cooling Transition?

Gordon Johnson, Subzero Engineering’s Senior CFD Manager, examines how air cooling remains critical for data center memory storage and containment systems

Why liquid cooling is becoming essential for AI-driven data centers—while air cooling still plays a critical role

Confronting hyperscale cooling challenges

Embracing air cooling in direct liquid cooling

Where does the industry go from here?

Optimizing for Sustainability

Gordon Johnson, Senior CFD Manager for Subzero Engineering, outlines the need for sustainability in data center operations and highlights how optimized strategies can reduce energy waste and environmental impact.

An Environmental Cost

Transitioning from White to Green

Green Building Certifications

Balancing Costs and Sustainability

The Power of Collective Responsibility

Setting an Example

About the writer

Shane Kilfoil of Subzero Engineering On The 5 Best Ways to Drive Product Growth

The Rise of AI Data Center Models and the Decline of the General-Purpose Data Center

AI infrastructure demands

Why can’t legacy facilities handle AI’s demands?

Legacy Data Centers Built for Yesterday

What Makes AI Workloads Different

Designing for AI

Bigger and Better

A Fundamental Rethink

About the writer

Is Liquid Cooling Becoming Non-Negotiable?

Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), especially Direct-to-Chip Cooling (DTC), is now essential for high-density AI racks. DLC enables higher compute densities and better energy efficiency.

Introduction

Challenges

Efficiency is no longer just best practice

Air-Cooling Limits

Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC)

Alexa McFarlane
Buyer in the Supply Chain for Subzero Engineering

Cathy Knutson
Office Manager & Site Services Install Team Coordinator

Chelsea Traver
Vice President of Finance at Senneca Holdings

Gloria Huegel
Vice President of Human Resources at Senneca and Subzero Engineering

Jane Neil
Supply Chain Manager at Subzero Engineering

Liz Carranza
Production Planner at Subzero Engineering

Makenna Deamer
Sales Application Engineer at Subzero Engineering

Yvette “Shorty” Garcia
Lead on Manufacturing Line at Subzero Engineering