A containerized compute cabin looks like a simple purchase: a box with racks inside. In practice, most schedule problems come from decisions that were left open until the factory had already started fabrication. The four items below are the ones worth closing before a purchase order.
1. Rack density, not total megawatts
A 2.4 MW cabin can be arranged as a modest number of high-density racks or a larger number of medium-density racks. The choice changes the cooling distribution, the floor loading and the cable volume. Agree the rack count, the power per rack and the expected growth before the layout is frozen.
2. Cooling medium and its boundary
Air, cold plate and immersion each require a different interface at the cabin wall. Liquid cooling needs a supply and return pair with defined temperature, flow and pressure, plus leak detection inside the cabin. Confirm whether the CDU sits inside the compute cabin or in a separate cooling block, and who supplies the hose or pipe between them.
- Coolant type and concentration
- Design supply and return temperatures
- Maximum allowable pressure drop
3. Power interface and redundancy
Two independent feeds are common, but the point at which they become independent matters. If both routes share a single cable trench or a single distribution panel, the redundancy exists on paper only. Mark the interface on a single-line diagram and confirm the upstream protection settings with the power cabin supplier.
4. Site conditions and access
The cabin is designed for transport, not for an unlimited site crane. Verify the lifting points, the approach route, the pad tolerance and the clearance needed to open doors and remove fans. On constrained urban plots, a 40ft cabin may be the wrong choice even when the load fits.
Put it in one document
A short interface schedule — one page per cabin type — is more useful than a long specification. It should list electrical ratings, cooling connections, network entries, weight, lifting points and the party responsible for each connection. Once signed, fabrication can proceed without repeated clarification.
Reference note · Final configuration subject to project design
