Toward Physics-Informed Machine Learning for Data Center Operations: A Tropical Case Study

--Data centers are the backbone of computing capacity. Operating data centers in the tropical regions faces unique challenges due to consistently high ambient temperature and elevated relative humidity throughout the year . These conditions result in increased cooling costs to maintain the reliability of the computing systems. While existing machine learning-based approaches have demonstrated potential to elevate operations to a more proactive and intelligent level, their deployment remains dubious due to concerns about model extrapolation capabilities and associated system safety issues. T o address these concerns, this article proposes incorporating the physical characteristics of data centers into traditional data-driven machine learning solutions. We begin by introducing the data center system, including the relevant multiphysics processes and the data-physics availability. Next, we outline the associated modeling and optimization problems and propose an integrated, physics-informed machine learning system to address them. Using the proposed system, we present relevant applications across varying levels of operational intelligence. A case study on an industry-grade tropical data center is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. Finally, we discuss key challenges and highlight potential future directions. He data center (DC) industry is experiencing rapid growth driven by the increasing demand for cloud computing, data storage, and artificial intelligence (AI) services. This expansion is also occurring in tropical regions, where digital infrastructure is being scaled up to meet regional computing needs [1]. As DCs grow in size and complexity, their power consumption increases accordingly, particularly in tropical climates where high ambient temperature and humidity place additional strain on the cooling systems. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global DC energy consumption could rise to 1050 TWh by 2026, up from 460 TWh in 2022 [2].