Data centers are evolving from pure consumers of electricity into active elements of the energy system. Computing loads are growing and becoming more dynamic, cooling is shifting towards liquid and hybrid concepts, and operators are expected to do more with the energy they draw – and with the heat they produce.
The tasks are converging precise energy and power quality measurement, cooling that follows the load, waste heat recovery, integration of on-site generation and battery storage, and a grid connection that behaves predictably under fast load changes. Each of these is a control task – and increasingly, they depend on each other.
Your head start in data center automation with Beckhoff:
- one platform for measurement, plant control, energy management and grid connection
- open interfaces to integrate all systems flexibly
- consistent database for digital twin concepts and simulation of load scenarios
- solutions for AI-assisted engineering and operation
Data center automation
Power measurement for data center infrastructure
Every optimization starts with measurement. In a data center, that means knowing – in real time – what each rack, each circuit and each system actually draws, and what the power quality looks like along the way: from the incoming feeder through switchboards and UPS systems down to the individual rack. Retrofit metering layers deliver averages; operating an AI-era facility takes dynamics.
With PC-based control, power measurement is integrated directly into the control architecture: EtherCAT measurement terminals are installed in the electrical distribution system and provide time-synchronized data across the facility. This data supports monitoring, capacity planning and automated responses – creating a continuous measurement chain from the sensor to the cloud without the need for separate metering infrastructure to install and maintain.
From cooling load to usable energy
Cooling is the largest controllable load in a data center – and increasingly its greatest untapped resource. Rising rack densities are driving the adoption of liquid and hybrid cooling concepts that must respond dynamically to the actual IT load. At the same time, the heat extracted from servers can be reused by district heating networks and neighboring buildings.
With Beckhoff, cooling and heat recovery are controlled on a single automation platform. TwinCAT supports HVAC and cooling control, coordinating cooling circuits, heat pumps and heat transfer stations as an integrated system. Integrated energy measurement provides a clear overview of both cooling efficiency and the heat delivered.
Integrated control for energy generation and storage
More data centers are integrating their own energy assets, including photovoltaic systems, battery storage and backup generators that increasingly serve purposes beyond standby operation. While each asset is straightforward to manage individually, the challenge lies in coordinating them as a single system, especially when facility loads change faster than conventional plant control systems can respond.
This requires shared data, coordinated control and response times that make a measurable difference. A battery capable of buffering load changes within milliseconds is only as effective as the measurement and control loop surrounding it. With PC-based control, cycle times as low as 50 microseconds and EtherCAT communication, Beckhoff closes this loop – enabling the coordinated management of generation, storage and consumption on one open automation platform.
Smart grid integration and power management
The grid connection point is where the data center interfaces with the energy system – and where requirements are evolving most rapidly. Modern computing loads can change by several megawatts within milliseconds. At the same time, grid operators increasingly expect large facilities to remain predictable under these conditions, supporting grid voltage and frequency rather than compromising stability.
Predictable behavior at the grid connection point is an engineering result. It requires synchronized measurement across the entire power path, control performance fast enough to respond within the disturbance itself, and grid-code-compliant power plant functions. With Beckhoff, these functions run on the same open automation platform that controls the facility.
Unified control platform for data center automation
A data center relies on numerous systems, including cooling, power distribution, lighting, security and monitoring. Traditionally, each system has its own controller, engineering tools and data silo, making integration a separate project involving gateways and custom middleware.
PC-based control takes a different approach: one open automation platform for all control, measurement and visualization tasks. Industrial PCs scale from individual room controllers to facility-wide automation, while EtherCAT connects thousands of I/O points in real time. Support for BACnet, OPC UA, MQTT and other common communication protocols enables a flexible architecture that adapts to the facility – not the other way around.
Our technologies for data centers
Intelligent building automation with PC-based control
PC-based control enables integrated automation of all systems on a single platform: HVAC, room automation, remote maintenance, energy data acquisition, and operation and monitoring. To this end, we offer an extensive toolkit of hard- and software components. Robust industrial or embedded PCs with TwinCAT automation software incorporate PLC, visualization, safety technology, and measurement tasks. Beckhoff I/O systems log data from all sensors and actuators. Our automation technology supports all common media and building technology protocols and interfaces and can therefore address all industry-typical devices and systems. Various TwinCAT software libraries are available for diagnostic functions such as intelligent energy monitoring.
Your advantages with PC-based control:
- cost-effectiveness: from investment to implementation to usage
- sustainability: today's technology for tomorrow's requirements
- networking: all information available on one platform
- flexibility: to respond to users' individual needs
- high availability: through open standards
High-speed fieldbus for data centers
Many facilities operate control and energy measurement on separate networks – with separate clocks, engineering tools and data sets that are difficult to correlate. EtherCAT brings these functions together: thousands of I/O points communicate with real-time performance and are synchronized across the entire facility using distributed clocks, with accuracy well below one microsecond. This makes it possible to correlate a voltage event at the incoming supply with its effects at a remote switchboard using comparable timestamps. Where detailed analysis is required, oversampling terminals capture the actual waveform. Existing fieldbus systems can be integrated as segments, rather than requiring replacement.
EtherCAT highlights for data centers:
- extremely fast cycle times for precise and efficient processes
- large selection of EtherCAT-compatible sensors and actuators on the market
- flexible connection of other fieldbus systems, such as CANopen, IO-Link, and PROFINET
Integrated automation with TwinCAT
As data centers are built at an increasing pace, engineering capacity becomes a critical factor. TwinCAT provides an integrated engineering environment for PLC programming, HVAC control, power measurement and visualization. Modular function libraries, such as TF8040, help standardize recurring tasks and reduce programming effort through configuration. TwinCAT CoAgent adds AI-supported assistance directly to the development environment. MATLAB® and Simulink® integration enables simulated models to be transferred into real-time control applications, while TwinCAT Machine Learning allows trained machine learning models to run directly on the controller. This enables commissioning, optimization and system modifications to be implemented in software.
TwinCAT highlights for data centers:
- TwinCAT 3 Building Automation: Package for building automation functions
- TwinCAT 3 Lighting Solution: Software for lighting management
- TwinCAT Analytics: Package with tools for predictive maintenance, improved diagnostics, and extensive remote maintenance options
Cybersecurity through PC-based control and EtherCAT
Data centers rely on the seamless integration of numerous systems – from cooling and power distribution to building management, security and higher-level IT systems. As connectivity increases, so does the potential attack surface of the facility infrastructure. Systematically reducing the points of attack provides the best protection. This is achieved through organizational measures, well thought-out system design, and technological safety solutions. Beckhoff supports you in all areas, for example with up-to-date vulnerability information and cybersecurity guidelines for the entire portfolio.
In terms of technology, PC-based control and EtherCAT form an inherently secure foundation. Central communication via the industrial PC enables native security functions in the operating systems to be implemented for the PLC runtime as well, including integrated firewalls. You also benefit from EtherCAT's architecture: the protocol is designed for hardware-based real-time control and is clearly separated from IP networks, which means it only offers a small window for attack. EtherCAT can therefore be used in a manner that is cyber-safe and conforms to standards without any adaptations.
Layered Redundancy for high availability
Redundancy in a data center is not one-size-fits-all. It is implemented in layers, with each layer matched to the criticality of the system it protects. At the control level, TwinCAT Controller Redundancy increases system availability by operating two standard industrial PCs as redundant controllers. Both controllers run the same PLC program and are continuously synchronized through an additional high-performance network connection. If one controller fails, the second controller takes over seamlessly, helping to prevent system downtime and data loss.
EtherCAT cable redundancy protects the communication path. In the event of a cable breakage, telegrams can be sent seamlessly via the alternative connection. Together, these measures help ensure that the control system does not become a weak link in the data center availability chain.
FAQs on data center infrastructure
Beckhoff integrates energy measurement directly into the automation system. EtherCAT Terminals for power measurement, combined with SCT current transformers, capture current, voltage, power, harmonics and power-quality data in real time – from the main incoming supply to individual rack circuits.
The SCT portfolio includes ring-type and split-core current transformers. Split-core versions can be installed on existing cables without interrupting the circuit. EtherCAT distributed clocks synchronize measurement points with an accuracy well below one microsecond. Where detailed analysis is required, oversampling terminals can capture the actual waveform. This creates a continuous measurement chain without requiring separate metering infrastructure.
Yes. The heat removed from servers is low-grade energy that heat pumps can raise to temperatures suitable for district heating networks and neighboring buildings.
Effective heat recovery requires coordinated control of cooling circuits, heat pumps and heat transfer stations, together with measurement of the heat delivered. TwinCAT supports these functions within one engineering environment and provides a single platform for data center cooling control.
Modern computing loads can change by several megawatts within milliseconds. To buffer these load changes, the storage system must detect the event, determine the required response and command the power converter before the effect reaches the grid connection point.
The achievable response time depends on the complete measurement and control loop. PC- and EtherCAT-based control, with cycle times as low as 50 microseconds, enables high-speed control loops for coordinated battery storage operation.
Data centers can support predictable grid behavior through precise, time-synchronized measurement across the entire power path, fast plant control and grid-code-compliant power plant functions.
These functions include reactive power control, active power management and fault ride-through. On an open automation platform, they can operate in the same control environment that already controls the facility, enabling coordinated responses in the millisecond range.
Beckhoff technology supports common building and industrial communication protocols, including BACnet, OPC UA, MQTT and Modbus. This enables the exchange of measurement and control data with existing BMS, SCADA and DCIM platforms through standardized interfaces.
TwinCAT can operate as the building management level, with web-based visualization based on TwinCAT HMI accessible from any device. It can also be integrated as a subsystem within an existing BMS, SCADA or DCIM architecture.
Yes. TwinCAT Machine Learning enables trained machine learning models to run directly in the real-time control environment. Applications such as anomaly detection based on power-quality data or load forecasting can therefore be executed in the controller, alongside measurement and control functions.
For engineering, TwinCAT CoAgent provides AI-supported assistance within the development environment. MATLAB® and Simulink® integration allows control strategies, such as cooling concepts or storage strategies, to be validated against simulated load scenarios before commissioning.
