Expandable, modular information technology facility with modularly expandable cooling

1. An Expandable Modular Information Technology (IT) Facility (EMITF) that supports a large-scale modularly-constructed and expandable information handling system (LMIHS) comprising:

an Expandable Modular Information Technology (IT) Building Infrastructure (EMITBI), the EMITBI having an initial enclosure comprised of: an initial base pad providing a fixed area of usable space on which one or more modular sub-components of the LMIHS can be placed; a plurality of exterior walls extending vertically from an outer perimeter of the initial base pad and connected to a roof structure, the plurality of exterior walls and roof structure collectively providing an outer perimeter of the initial enclosure of the EMITBI, within which a first maximum number of modular IT components can be housed, the plurality of exterior walls including at least one exterior wall that is constructed as a removable expansion wall (REW) that enables expansion of the usable space of the EMITBI, wherein the EMITBI protects the IT gear located therein and is expandable to an adjacent expansion space external to the REW and via later removal of the REW, without affecting the operation of the existing LMIHS within an initial enclosed segment of the EMITBI, wherein expansion of the EMITBI includes addition of an adjacent segment of base pad and constructing additional exterior side walls, ceiling and roof support structures, and a new external wall enclosing the adjacent segment of base pad, with the REW providing a first already-in place wall of the enclosed adjacent segment of base pad, and wherein the REW is physically dissembled and removed from within the expanded EMITBI after construction and preparation of the adjacent expansion space to provide a contiguous space for receiving additional modular IT components and IT gear;

a plurality of modular IT components placed within the EMITBI on the usable space and operational as the LMIHS, wherein the EMITBI provides a protective enclosure, with a controlled environment, within which the LMIHS can operate with minimal exposure to an environment outside of the plurality of exterior walls, and wherein at least one of the plurality of modular IT components dissipate heat; and

at least one air handling unit (AHU) in fluid communication with the initial enclosure to support cooling of one or more of the IT components within the initial enclosure.

2. The EMITF of claim 1 , wherein the EMITBI includes multiple segments each having a specific number of IT components that require cooling and an AHU bay defined within the exterior wall section of the segment, such that each of the at least one AHU interfaces with a corresponding AHU bay to be in fluid communication with the corresponding segment of the EMITBI to provide cooling to the IT components located within the corresponding segment of the EMITBI.

3. The EMITF of claim 1 , wherein the EMITBI is an expanded EMITBI and the at least one AHU includes a plurality of AHUs, including initial AHUs in fluid communication on initial assembly of the EMITBI and added AHUs in fluid communication post expansion of the EMITBI, wherein the expansion further includes adding at least one AHU bay to the expansion space and adding the added AHU to one of the at least one AHU bay to be in fluid communication with modular components added to adjacent to the AHU bay.

4. The EMITF of claim 1 , wherein the at least one AHU comprises a first set of AHUs in fluid communication with the first segment of an expanded EMITBI corresponding to the initial enclosure and at least one second AHU in fluid communication with a second segment of the expanded EMITBI, wherein the second AHU provides cooling for additional IT components placed within the second segment of the expanded EMBRI.

5. The EMITF of claim 1 , wherein the first and second AHUs are connected to a single primary temperature control that receives temperature readings from the different segments of the EMITBI within a single contiguous building infrastructure and provides facility level balancing of temperature within the EMITBI utilizing the first and second AHUs, and wherein the first and second AHUs can cool specific segments/areas of the expanded, contiguous EMITB, independent of other areas of the expanded EMITBI.

6. The EMITF of claim 1 , wherein the AHUs are located on top of the EMITBI to reduce a footprint of the EMITF relative to usable ground space, wherein addition of AHUs occur with the new physical support walls or atop the roof structure so that further expansion of the usable space is not interfered with by a physical location of the AHUs.

7. The EMITF of claim 1 , wherein the AHUs are placed on the outside of the exterior wall adjacent to the IT component that the AHU is being utilized to cool, and the AHU is placed in fluid communication with the interior segment prior to functionally operating the IT component within the enclosure, wherein AHUs are added as needed when expansion of the EMITBI occurs.

8. A method for cooling IT components within an interior of an EMITBI, the method comprising:

cooling a first set of IT components within an initial configuration of the EMITBI via an initial set of air handling units (AHUs), each in fluid communication with different interior sections of the initial configuration of the EMITBI via respective AHU bays provided within the initial configuration of the EMITBI; and

when an expansion of the IT components is to be provided within the EMITBI, installing at least one additional AHU to provide cooling for the additional IT components, wherein the additional AHU unit is installed and placed in fluid communication with the EMITBI via another AHU bay provided within the initial configuration of the EMITBI and before operation of the additional IT components within the EMITBI;

wherein expansion of the EMITBI includes addition of an adjacent segment of base pad and constructing additional exterior side walls, ceiling and roof support structures, and a new external wall enclosing the adjacent segment of base pad, with a removable expansion wall (REW)of the initial configuration of the EMITBI providing a first, already-in place wall of the enclosed adjacent segment of base pad, and wherein the REW is physically dissembled and removed from within the expanded EMITBI after construction and preparation of the adjacent expansion space to provide a contiguous space for receiving additional modular IT components and IT gear.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

when an expansion of the EMITBI is being undertaken via adjacent expansion of the usable space and surrounding exterior walls, installing at least one additional AHU to a corresponding AHU bay within an expanded section of the expanded EMITBI to enable cooling for any additional IT components placed within the expanded usable space, wherein the additional AHU unit is installed and placed in fluid communication with the expanded section of the EMITBI before addition and operation of the additional IT components within the expanded EMITBI, and wherein the additional AHU is installed prior to disassembly and removal of a removable exterior wall (REW) separating the initial usable space from the expanded usable space during the expansion;

wherein the expansion further includes adding at least one AHU bay to the expansion space and adding the added AHU to one of the at least one AHU bay to be in fluid communication with modular components added to adjacent to the AHU bay.