DC-101 Data center
Data center: from design to operations
Five in-person days, from zero to a complete view of a data center: choosing the site, power, cooling, network, security, then an on-site audit and a defence. About 60% hands-on work, in a simulated environment.
Objectives
- explain the role, the types and the stakes of a data center, including in the Ivorian context
- apply ANSI/BICSI 002-2024 and ANSI/TIA-942-C to determine an availability class (F0 to F4)
- assess a candidate site for a data center
- size a complete Class F3 power chain: medium-voltage supply, transformers, generator sets, UPS units, batteries, distribution
- size a cooling system suited to a tropical climate, including liquid cooling for AI
- design the network architecture, structured cabling, fire protection and physical security
- lead commissioning and operations: DCIM, procedures, PUE, WUE, CUE and REF indicators
- audit an existing data center and produce an actionable report
- use Claude Code responsibly as an engineering assistant
- defend a design before a jury, with budget and sustainability in support
Audience
Engineers and technicians in electrical engineering, cooling/HVAC, networks and telecoms; project managers, project owners and project supervisors for digital infrastructure; operations, monitoring and security teams; auditors and consultants; final-year engineering students; public officials involved in the State's digital projects.
Prerequisites
No data center prerequisite: the course starts from zero and reviews the basics in the first two days. Required: fluent French, comfort with a computer (office software, web browser, installing software), and a taste for teamwork. Desirable, not blocking: basic notions of electricity (kW, kVA, three-phase), IP networks and the Linux command line; ability to read technical English, since the standards are published in English. Equipment: a compliant laptop (64-bit, 4 cores, 8 GB of RAM at minimum and 16 GB recommended, 25 GB free on an SSD, virtualisation enabled, Windows 11 or an up-to-date Windows 10 with WSL2, or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, administrator account, Wi-Fi, recent browser with graphics acceleration), with at least one workstation for every two learners. A Claude account with access to Claude Code, activated before D-7: at least one per team, ideally one per learner. An e-mail address. Remote preparation at D-7: installation of the free software and a check of the workstation, guided step by step.
Programme
Remote preparation (D-7): installation and check of the workstations, activation of the Claude Code accounts.
Day 1, Foundations: understand, standardise, choose the site
Kick-off with the fictional tender for a Class F3 data center (the running case, a fictional teaching case inspired by public information) and formation of the teams. The data center, heart of the digital world: placement test, types (enterprise, colocation, cloud, edge, AI), anatomy of a site, the Ivorian context, demonstration of the 3D LEGO model. The common language: ANSI/BICSI 002-2024, TIA-942-C, Uptime Institute, EN 50600, ASHRAE; availability classes F0 to F4; workshop “which class for the running case?”; critical reading of sources. Choosing the right plot (BICSI §5): risks, utilities, regulation; lab analysing the case site and its climate (QGIS, Python). Claude Code, your AI pair: getting started, rules of use, “hallucination hunt”, lab on an AI-assisted functional brief. Debrief, quiz of the day, badge award.
Day 2, Architecture and energy: from space to the power chain
Spaces, building and structure (BICSI §6 to §8): room programme, densities, loads; sizing exercise for the computer room. The complete power chain (§9): medium-voltage incomers, transformers, switchboards, generator sets, UPS units, lithium batteries, A/B distribution, earthing and lightning protection, electrical safety. Lab: electrical calculation note (Python, Marimo notebook) and single-line diagram. Lab: power grid simulation (pandapower), loss of one element and simultaneous maintenance; AI-assisted cross-review. Debrief, quiz of the day, badge award.
Day 3, Cooling, network, security and fire: cool, connect, protect
Cooling in the tropics (§10, ASHRAE): chillers, chilled water, aisle containment, liquid cooling of AI racks, water consumption. Lab: thermal behaviour and airflow. Network and cabling (§14, §15, TIA-942-C): telecom spaces, spine-leaf architecture, diversity of entrance routes. Lab: spine-leaf network (containerlab, FRRouting). Fire protection, physical security and building systems (§11 to §13). Audit methodology (ISO 19011, 197-point grid) and preparation of the audit case. Debrief, quiz of the day, badge award.
Day 4, Audit and operations: contact with reality
Safety briefing and allocation of audit roles. Team audit of an existing data center (“DC Legacy” case: full file, measurements, interview), using the mobile audit tool. Commissioning and operations (§16, §17, BICSI 009): commissioning, SOP/MOP/EOP procedures, PUE, WUE, CUE and REF indicators, sustainability. Lab: DCIM and monitoring (NetBox, Prometheus, Grafana), then the “Blackout” Game Day: incident management in real time. Debrief, quiz of the day, badge awards.
Day 5, Hero: audit, final design, defence
Lab: audit report (evidence, findings, risks, roadmap) with AI assistance. Final design sprint: running-case file, CAPEX and TCO, renewable energy balance, review by AI agents. Individual final exam (40 multiple-choice questions and a short numerical case). Defence of the teams' work before a technical jury, jury feedback and trophy award. Close: course evaluation, award of attestations, 30-day progression plan.
Claude Code every day, with safeguards: AI proposes, the engineer decides. A preconfigured workspace (project context, specialised sub-agents for electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, networking, fire safety, audit and project management) helps frame the project, write sizing scripts, produce diagrams, review designs, and draft procedures and the audit report. Every result is checked and logged in an AI journal; no confidential data from an audited site is given to the AI without written authorisation; the text of the standards is never reproduced; professional responsibility stays with people.
Reference standards used, cited by section and paraphrased: ANSI/BICSI 002-2024, BICSI 009, ANSI/TIA-942-C (2024), Uptime Institute Tier Standard, EN 50600 / ISO/IEC 22237, ASHRAE TC 9.9, ISO/IEC 30134 (PUE, WUE, CUE, REF), ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 22301, ISO 19011, NFPA 75, 2001, 70E and 855, IEC 62305, NF C 15-100.
Format
5 days, 35 hours, in person, from 08:30 to 17:00, with lunch from 12:30 to 13:30 and two 15-minute breaks, preceded by remote preparation at D-7 (workstation set-up and check, activation of Claude Code accounts). About 60% hands-on work (indicative), in a simulated environment with 100% free and open-source professional tools: QGIS, Python, Marimo, pandapower, containerlab, FRRouting, NetBox, Prometheus, Grafana, GLPI, QElectroTech, draw.io, LibreOffice. Short interactive talks backed by verified figures and real cases, demonstrations on an interactive 39-step 3D LEGO model, guided labs, team workshops in groups of 3 to 4 participants on a fictional running case (a tender between design offices), a guided audit of an existing data center, a “Game Day” incident simulation and a defence before a jury. Claude Code is used every day as an engineering partner. Language: French, with English technical terms explained. Digital materials can be used with a keyboard, in day, night or high-contrast theme; any specific need reported at registration is looked into.
Assessment
Placement test on the first day and post-test on the last day, to measure individual progress. Weighting: daily quizzes 15%, team deliverables (D1 to D4) 25%, audit report (D5) 20%, individual final exam 20%, defence before a jury 20%. Pass mark of 60%; “Hero” distinction from 85%. A named attestation of success is issued by the trainer. It attests that the course was passed: it is not an official certification, and it is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by BICSI, Uptime Institute, TIA, Anthropic or Microsoft. The course is aligned with the good practices of ANSI/BICSI 002-2024, with no BICSI affiliation or certification.
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