Modular Container Data Centers

Modular, containerized data center includes IT equipment, power and cooling systems. As soon as it became possible to combine all this into one container, its own modules from different suppliers became more and more common.

Modular data centers are a technology whose main goal is to reduce and optimize the cost of building an IT infrastructure. The way infrastructure resources are allocated in this model is much like the distribution of computing power in the cloud. The client pays for exactly the amount of capacity that he uses, and in which case he can relatively easily increase or reduce resources. The same is true with modular construction of data centers: by decision of the customer, resources are added and reduced quite quickly and relatively inexpensively.

Benefits of Mobile Data Centers

Mobile data centers have a number of advantages over fixed data centers. First of all, the advantages of modular data centers were appreciated by those who are looking for disaster-resistant solutions that can work in any conditions - mobile operators, the raw materials sector.

Secondly, these are companies for which business continuity is important, and the cost of downtime of IT equipment is extremely high, for example, financial and insurance companies, banks.

And thirdly, these are IT service providers who are looking for ways to reduce capital costs for the construction^[1].

Everything is known in comparison, and the cheapness of modular data centers becomes obvious when they find themselves on different cups of scales with traditional ones. Firstly, modular data centers do not require capital construction or expensive conversion of the existing premises. This is such a powerful advantage that it easily overlaps any significant drawbacks. The builder and customer do not need to invest, as they say, "in concrete." Capital construction easily eats up half the budget for deploying a data center.

In addition, the built buildings or data centers located on rented areas do not differ in mobility. If the client expires the lease term or there is a need to move to another office, then in the case of a capital structure, this turns into an investment disaster: you have to invest funds comparable in size to the construction of another data center. And a modular data center can simply be disassembled and deployed in any other space. In addition, it is not tied to the volume of premises, despite the fact that it is the volume of commercial real estate that turns out to be an obstacle to building up the IT infrastructure.

Similar to the cloud model discussed just above, the modular data center is easily scalable. For example, you have an open plot of a thousand square meters. You can build a modular data center with sufficient capacity of 300 square meters. m, and fill the rest of the territory with new modules as business needs grow. Such step-by-step scaling significantly reduces both capital and operating costs of^[2].

World Data Centres are more efficient: they do not require special infrastructure, the construction period is about 2-3 months, they are mobile and can be located with sources of cheap energy. In addition, they can be used to expand the power of stationary data centers.

If you conduct a comparative analysis of mobile and stationary data centers, it will look like this:

| 1. A special room is required for deployment
2. Has limitations in scaling.
3. It is difficult to redeploy.
4. The project implementation period is 1 year.
5. Installation and commissioning of the center of the stationary center is much more expensive.
6. Operating costs higher than mobile center

Стационарный ЦОД

Mobile Data Center

1. No dedicated building is required to deploy the World Data Centre and hence initial costs and operating costs are significantly reduced. 2. Deploys IT infrastructure to a remote site 3. Suitable for mobile offices or mobile facilities. 4. Can be used to expand the IT infrastructure (together with a stationary center). 5. The possibility of placing near cheap energy sources, in the absence of rent for the room, maintaining investments when moving or moving the office. 6. The project implementation period is 2-3 months.

No matter where the enterprise is located, you can always install a mobile center there. The availability of ready-made solutions for the production of block containers, the absence or significant reduction of such stages as the design of infrastructure for stationary data centers, coordination of design solutions with supervisory authorities, construction and minimum requirements for site preparation lead to a significant reduction in the delivery and installation of World Data Centre compared to hospital centers.

The topic of mobile data centers, or Mobile Data Center (MDC), is often covered in the press, both foreign and Russian. This is of interest to domestic entrepreneurs and IT industry specialists. Mobile data centers are capable of solving a number of tasks that are often faced by Russian enterprises operating in the field of information technology.

Mobile data centers can solve a number of problems that often face Russian enterprises and organizations working in the field of information technology: The need to deploy new racks as soon as possible or create new racks for a short time on the basis of existing main and reserve capacities and engineering infrastructure components in the absence of premises or in case of non-compliance of the existing premises with the requirements for the data center.

In addition, World Data Centre allow you to create a temporary server room at the moment when the stationary one has not yet been completed or put into operation. Equipment may be installed in the temporary room, which is necessary for the operation of the business during this period.

Also, in the event of a shortage of specialized premises for accommodating data centers, or specialists of the necessary qualifications, or stationary data centers that provide the required level of reliability, the World Data Centre can be the best solution. The mobile data center can be used to expand the IT infrastructure. With active expansion into the regions or the takeover of other companies, branches open without delay, and the acquired assets are promptly integrated into a single information infrastructure.

Growing demand for mobile data centers includes increased Internet traffic, the importance of continuous Internet applications, and integration with the global economy. Thus, mobile data centers have ceased to be a niche offer, and have become in demand not only in the field, but also in megacities where there is not enough free space.

"Mobile data center": do you need it?

The confusion in the industry with the interpretation of the term "mobile data center" can not only mislead Chief information officers, but also lead to the choice of an ineffective solution. The origin of the term "mobile" originates from decisions used by the US military. These data centers really had the ability to move with the equipment installed inside and quickly deploy in a new place. Such data centers were usually placed in containers, which subsequently led to a mixture of definitions: container data centers began to be identified with mobile and modular ones. However, the existing "container solutions" have little in common with their military predecessors - most of them cannot be transported with not only IT installed inside, but even engineering equipment (especially on Russian roads). Who needs it? Moving the data center is a very specific need and the likelihood that it will arise from the company is low. If such a move happens, it is unlikely that he will wear the uniform of the military special operation^[3] do^[4]

Among the characteristics of "mobile" data centers, most customers consider the following key:

• possibility of delivery to remote locations;
• choice of location (closer to users, power sources, near the building);
• shortening the implementation time;
• possibility of phased capacity increase (on demand);
• possibility of moving in the future to a new place of operation.

It is these options that the manufacturers of "mobile" data centers based on ISO-container solutions indicate as their advantages. Pre-fabricated data center or mobile? It is important to understand: in addition to container (or mobile) solutions, there are pre-fabricated (or prefabricated) data centers on the market that not only provide customers with the same capabilities, but also surpass container data centers in a number of key characteristics.

Pre-fabricated DPCs enable more flexible scaling (span of scaling across racks rather than modules). In the pre-fabricated data center, there is no problem of non-delivery of service space, which is typical for "container" data centers. At the same time, some prefabricated modular data centers have a lower transportation cost with greater flexibility and even delivery speed than "mobile."

History

2024: The volume of the Russian market for modular and container data centers for the year reached ₽5 billion

The Russian segment of modular and container data centers at the end of 2024 amounted to ₽5 billion, reflecting the growing interest of companies in mobile engineering solutions for the placement of computing equipment. According to analysts, by 2030 the market volume will grow sixfold and reach ₽32 billion with an average annual growth of about 10%. This is evidenced by the results of a study by O-Si-Es-Center LLC (OCS), published at the end of July 2025.

Modular and container data centers are mobile engineering facilities that include everything necessary for the operation of computing equipment: server racks, cooling and power supply systems. Modular solutions consist of separate units that can be assembled as a designer, and container ones represent a ready-to-use container.

Over the year, the volume of the Russian market for modular and container data centers reached 5 billion rubles

The key drivers of the market growth, according to OCS research, are the increase in data volumes in the business, the shortage of stands in commercial data centers, a significant increase in the cost of building stationary data centers and a rapid increase in the volume of corporate information.

According to OCS, about 32% of companies with up to 500 units of computing equipment expect an increase in corporate information by 10% by the end of 2025. Among organizations with 50-250 devices, the share of companies with such expectations is 48%.

In commercial data centers, there is a shortage of desktops in the market for physical server and storage services, and the cost of the service has increased by 30%. The construction of new data centers is associated with a number of difficulties, including new rules for the design and construction of data centers.

A high key rate, an increase in the cost of building materials and other factors increase capital construction costs compared to 2024. These circumstances make modular and container solutions more attractive to companies.

OCS engineers consider this type of equipment most suitable for companies whose infrastructure includes no more than 500 servers and storage systems. In Russia, 80% of representatives of medium, large and largest businesses in terms of annual revenue use this number of computing solutions.

The results of the OCS survey conducted in March-May 2025 show that, taking into account industry characteristics, the potential audience of customers of modular and container data centers in Russia is about 8,000 enterprises.

Alexey Gubin, Head of Business Development at the OCS Infrastructure and Engineering Systems Department, noted that companies with up to 500 devices usually do not have the means and time for capital construction. For them, the purchase of a modular or container data center is the best option for solving the problem of scaling the fleet of equipment.

Gubin stressed that such a decision saves not only finances, but also time. On average, the project of a modular or container data center takes four to six months, and the construction of its own data center takes up to a year.

Modular data centers are light scalable, the expert noted. Businesses can install additional modules as they grow their server and DSS fleets. Looking at the long term, this is the most convenient way to organize an enterprise data center.

Infrastructure requirements are changing under the influence of new technological trends, including the use of artificial intelligence. There is an increase in demand for engineering infrastructure capable of working with heat generation from 50 kW, while standard data centers are built for an indicator of 7-10 kW.^[5]

2019: Global Modular Data Center Market Rises 65%

The volume of the global market for prefabricated modular data centers in 2019 grew by more than 65% and amounted to almost $2 billion against $1.2 billion a year earlier. This is evidenced by data from the research company Omdia.

Analysts attributed the rapid rise of the market in question to the benefits of modular data centers, such as scalability, factory manufacturing and assembly, and high deployment rates.

Rapid data growth and endless demand for computing resources are driving the rapid deployment of new data centers. The commissioning of a traditional data center takes from 18 to 24 months, but often a shorter time is required, "says Lucas Beran, chief analyst at Omdia in the field of cloud technologies and data centers. - Factory-ready modular data center suppliers provide a solution in an average of four to six months.

The Omdia study describes the types of prefabricated modular data centers for different use cases. IT solutions and object-specific models are presented, as well as so-called universal modules (with built-in IT, power, and cooling infrastructure) that are commonly used in education and healthcare, industry, remote regions, and complex production environments.

According to analysts, the growing demand for peripheral computing is stimulating the use of universal modules on peripheral objects, where a small data center is needed next to users. The ability for automatic commissioning is good because it not only reduces deployment time to several days instead of weeks and months, but also reduces the likelihood of defects, since all components are pre-assembled and tested at the factory, the researchers explained.^[6]

2012: APC by Schneider Electric Study

According to research by APC by Schneider Electric, modular container data centers are faster in deployment, more reliable in operation and have a lower total cost of ownership than data centers built independently from various components.

In 2012, APC by Schneider Electric specialists conducted a detailed study of the power and cooling problem of modular containerized data centers and a comparison analysis with self-built data centers.

The main issues under consideration are:

1. Are modular container Data Centers really faster to deploy and have a lower total cost of ownership than those built from various data center components?

That's exactly how it is. We are still in the early stages of deploying containerized power and cooling systems, but analysis by APC experts to date shows that the introduction of container data centers leads to a 30% reduction in TCO, a 13% reduction in initial installation costs and a 60% reduction in deployment time.

2. What are the main drivers for this cost reduction?

There are three of them:

• First, the use of factory assembly. It is much cheaper to assemble systems in a factory compared to the operating conditions of individual IT structures, both due to labor costs and logistics associated with the supply of equipment in parts.

• Second, much less work is required to prepare infrastructure, cable connections, etc., and the one-time technical costs of designing various subsystems such as building automation and control systems that come with a container data center are reduced.

• But probably the biggest savings come from the ability to choose the right data center size for the IT structure that you have today and the possibility of easy expansion, given the modular structure of the container data center, to what you think you will have in 5 or 10 years.

3. What are the key drivers for saving time on container data center deployments?

Here again, the savings are made up of several parts. Customers can expect significant time savings in rapid deployment with modular tools simply because they are much easier to install than a piecemeal data center.

It also saves a lot of time developing and pre-designing the data center planning process typically requires. The testing time is reduced because many components are tested in the factory. As the market matures, we expect you to see increased time savings with modular data centers available essentially from the shelf.

4. What makes a modular container data center more reliable than a self-built data center?

Most of the problems that occur in data centers are the result of errors made during the build, such as device selection errors and errors associated with incorrect device connections in the operating environment. Moving most of this work to the managed environment of the factory, where specialists check and test connections, improves the reliability of the data center.

In addition, many data center problems can arise from a unique data center project. When you have a unique project, you get unique problems. Modular, container systems use standard designs that eliminate most of the problems and downtime we see in data centers.

5. For what type of customer are modular, containerized data centers the most appropriate?

Most customers will benefit from container power and cooling infrastructure. Only some customers with unique physical features of their building will not be able to use these systems.

However, we think that most IT structures will remain in rooms and containers will be a specialized market focused on companies deploying thousands of servers at the same time in places where it is difficult to place them in a building. Container data centers are also convenient for places that are difficult to deploy a conventional data center and in the field.

6. Are modular, containerized data centers really only suitable for new data centers?

Most people think so, but it should be noted such an important feature as the modularity of container data centers, which makes it convenient and easy to expand as the enterprise grows.

Let's also consider a data center that has exhausted its potential for power and cooling, but still has enough IT equipment, say about 25%. Modular options are a great way to add tools to increase health and extend data center life.

Due to the increasing cost of energy and the fact that data centers use more and more energy to meet the increasing needs of customers, energy efficiency is one of the central problems. Here, container data centers also have important advantages over conventional ones.

2011: Modular Container Data Center Efficiency Study

The Green Grid Consortium published in November 2011 the results of a study of the effectiveness of data centers assembled from ready-made modular units already containing the necessary equipment and programs. Similar modules are produced by a number of companies, including Dell, HP, SGI, Capgemini and Microsoft.

Building modular centers is cheaper thanks to lower design costs. The density of equipment in modules is usually higher than in conventional centers, and they take up less space, and their performance is often higher, since design flaws are revealed even at the stage of module design. In addition, usually modular data centers are optimized for energy consumption and cooling efficiency, as well as designed to operate in wide ranges of temperatures and humidity. The common problem of modular centers is reliability, The Green Grid report notes. The level of duplication, stability and guaranteed operating time of the different components of the module can vary greatly, and as a result, the reliability of the entire module begins to depend on one element. Many are also concerned about ensuring the physical security of the modules.

At this time Russia , no more than 10% of mobile data centers (World Data Centre) operate in. The activation of this area was expected - more than seven companies are already proposing projects to create container ones. data centers All these companies note an increase in demand for the World Data Centre: in 2011, the number of orders for projects of mobile centers exceeded the number of orders for 2009-2010. Large companies such as "" VimpelCom or the aircraft manufacturing concern "" Irkut have already appreciated the advantages of mobile data centers, which undoubtedly indicates the growing popularity of the World Data Centre in the Russian market.

Customers of these projects understand that by packaging the data center into a container, they will receive a complete turnkey product with minimal financial costs and high payback. World Data Centre can become both the main center for data storage and processing, and a backup one.

2010: Only 80 containers sold worldwide

Despite the rapid growth of World Data Centre offers from leading manufacturers, this market segment, according to IDC estimates, remains small, albeit rapidly growing. In 2010, just over 80 containers were sold in the world, which, however, is twice as much as in 2009.

The main factors in the development of the commercial data center market in Russia, analysts at J'son & Partners (J&P) call the integration of Russian business into the global economy, the growth of Internet traffic, national projects and state programs, as well as continuity of work as a competitive advantage of companies. Despite the fact that the demand for the World Data Centre not yet great (so far no more than a dozen projects have been implemented), more than seven Russian leading IT companies have already developed and proposed their own options for building mobile data centers.

At this time, the World Data Centre is in demand in the world by companies in the communications industry, the oil and gas sector, large industrial and production holdings, metallurgical enterprises, and power.

Individual integration companies in Russia continue to work on technological solutions in this area:

• Stack Group, offering Stack.Cube mobile solution,
• "ATI,"
• "Radius-VIP,"
• Sitronics IT and
• Technoserv A/S.

Companies such as Cherus and NVision Group also had a number of projects in this direction.^[7]

2005-2006: Google and Sun create first container data centers

It was previously believed that Sun Microsystems pioneered the creation of mobile data centers by releasing the first Blackbox product in 2006. However, as it became known recently, Google was the pioneer, which in the fall of 2005 created its first data center based on 45 containers, each of which contained 1,160 servers and consumed 250 Kwt of electricity. The power density was 780 watts per square foot, and the temperature in the "cold" passage did not exceed 27.2 degrees.

See also

• TAdviser Overview: Commercial Data Centers
• Data Center (Data Center)
• Key Data Center-Based Services
• Colocation
• Russian Data Center Market
• Trends in the Russian data center market
• Cloud services (Russian market)
• Russian IaaS market
• What is a "green" data center?
• Data Center Economy Measurement
• Container Data Centers
• Data Center Technologies: Solid State Drives (SSDs)
• Global Data Center Market

Notes