To specify a containerised data center, provide the IT load, rack layout, cooling requirements, power architecture, site conditions and required supply scope. The quotation should also define external connections, testing and responsibility for installing and commissioning customer-supplied equipment.
Container length and rack count are useful starting points, but they cannot establish the electrical capacity, cooling duty or operational resilience the facility needs.
Start with the workload and rack power
Describe whether the project supports edge computing, enterprise servers, AI inference, training or another workload. Provide rack dimensions, equipment weights, expected operating power and maximum design power. Identify any racks with unusually high demand.
For illustration, ten racks at a design load of 5 kW each represent 50 kW of IT load; ten at 30 kW each represent 300 kW. These are hypothetical planning examples, not TLS product ratings. The same rack count can therefore imply very different infrastructure.
Distinguish IT power from total facility power. Cooling, UPS losses, lighting and other support loads also need to be included when sizing the site supply. State the initial deployment and planned future capacity separately.
Define the cooling interfaces
Provide the server manufacturers' environmental and cooling requirements. For air-cooled equipment, identify airflow direction, inlet conditions and the proposed arrangement for controlling recirculation. For liquid-cooled equipment, identify the required fluid conditions and connection points.
ASHRAE's liquid cooling white paper explains the interfaces between IT cooling and facility heat removal. A liquid-cooled rack still needs a defined path for its heat to leave the facility.
For the enquiry, request agreement on supply and return temperatures, flow, pressure, fluid quality, cooling distribution units and external heat-rejection equipment where applicable. Establish whether part of the IT heat remains in the room and needs air cooling.
Define which party supplies each part of that cooling chain. “Liquid cooling included” is too broad to describe an installation boundary.
State the power and resilience requirements
Provide available voltage, frequency, phases, earthing arrangement and the location of the incoming supply. Identify whether transformers, switchgear, UPS equipment, batteries, rack distribution and backup generation belong in the container supplier's scope.
Describe the operational requirement in practical terms: how long must the IT load continue during a supply interruption, and which maintenance activities must be possible while it operates?
If the specification calls for N+1 capacity, state which systems are covered and at what design load. If dual power paths are required, describe their boundaries and how they connect to the IT equipment. A redundancy label without an agreed architecture leaves room for different quotations.
Explain the site and installation constraints
Provide the project location, outdoor design conditions, altitude, corrosion exposure and any wind, seismic, noise or access restrictions relevant to the design.
The layout needs to show more than rack positions. Include electrical and cooling service areas, maintenance access, equipment replacement routes, cable entries and escape arrangements. Confirm the floor loading and transport restraint requirements for equipment shipped inside the module.
For remote sites, explain the availability of maintenance personnel, spare parts and reliable utilities. These inputs help determine what can be supported in operation rather than only at factory testing.
Make the supply boundary explicit
TLS containerised data center solutions include enclosure and integrated-system approaches. The selected offer should identify the equipment and services included for the particular project.
Ask the proposal to distinguish enclosure works, electrical systems, cooling, fire detection or suppression, monitoring, racks, servers, network equipment and software configuration. State who supplies, installs, connects and tests each item.
For customer-supplied equipment, agree when dimensions, weights, drawings and interface data must be available. Late equipment changes can affect the rack arrangement, penetrations, cooling distribution and electrical design.
Agree how performance will be demonstrated
Before ordering, define factory tests and the tests that remain for the final site. State whether the factory demonstration uses actual IT equipment, load banks, simulated signals or a combination, and record the limitations of each method.
As a procurement recommendation, specify the intended electrical loading, cooling demonstration, alarm checks and relevant failure-response scenarios. Identify which external systems must be available for site acceptance and who will conduct the tests.
Energy-efficiency targets also need measurement boundaries, load conditions and environmental assumptions. A generic efficiency figure cannot establish performance at every site or operating load.
Frequently asked questions
Can I request a quotation before choosing the servers?
Yes, for preliminary planning. Provide an estimated load range and mark unresolved equipment details. A firm design needs confirmed dimensions, weights, electrical demand and cooling interfaces.
Does a containerised data center include servers and networking?
Only where the quotation expressly includes them. An enclosure or infrastructure package may leave IT equipment and its configuration to the customer or integrator.
Can capacity be expanded later?
Expansion should be designed into the power, cooling, controls, connections and site arrangement. Space for additional racks alone does not establish spare infrastructure capacity.
Send TLS a Clear Data Center Enquiry
Send your intended workload, rack schedule, power and cooling requirements, site conditions and preferred supply scope to sales@tls-containers.com. Include available layouts and equipment data so TLS can review a container arrangement and the interfaces needed for the deployment.
