CTCI Advances Technology Development Through Green Engineering: Building Vantage's First Data Center in Taiwan

— Chao-Yu Huang, Senior Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, Group Engineering Business(GEB), CTCI

Data centers are a core infrastructure in modern information industries, primarily used to store massive amounts of personal, commercial, and confidential digital information with a wide range of applications. To ensure that electronic devices, network systems, and global synchronous communication services stay uninterrupted, it is crucial to build data centers that combine reliability, availability, and security.

This project, named TPE11 Data Center, marks the first data center built by Vantage Data Centers in Taiwan. Located in Guishan District, Taoyuan City, the data center mainly serves large enterprises and cloud service providers, offering services for digital technology, Internet of Things, cloud databases, and the emerging AI industry chain. This project is an example of the industry trend where notable global clients set up their data centers in Taiwan, highlighting Taiwan’s growing significance among global digital infrastructure-building. It also marks a crucial step for Vantage Data Centers, which is seeking to expand its business in the Asia-Pacific region.

This is the first digital tech facilities engineering project undertaken by CTCI Group. The site covers about 2,900 ping (approximately 9,570 square meters) with a building comprising basement and five above-ground floors, totaling about 20,000 square meters in area. The location was selected for stable water and power supply. The design supports an IT load capacity of 16MW (the total power consumption by all computing equipment at full load), and incorporates a Tier concept with redundancy in power supply, uninterruptible power systems, and a combination of closed-loop water cooling and air-cooled chillers.

CTCI Group has over 40 years of experience in EPC projects worldwide. Backed by professional engineering and technical services, commitment to ESG sustainability, corporate culture of professionalism, integrity, teamwork, and innovation, and a solid industry reputation both domestically and abroad, CTCI successfully earned the trust and commission of this project’s client.

Reliable Realized

Bringing Together Multidisciplinary Engineering Experts to Tap Into the Advanced Technology Facility Industry

CTCI Group started out as engineering and construction services provider for the refinery and petrochemical industries, and over the years it has become experienced in multiple sectors, including environmental, power, and transportation, always providing up-to-date engineering services to meet evolving customer needs.

In 2020, to capture business opportunities in high-tech fields, CTCI established the Advanced Technology Facility Business Operation (ATFBO), marking its official entry into high-tech facility engineering. The TPE 11 Data Center is CTCI’s first digital tech-related facility project that involved procurement, construction, and commissioning.

In this project, the CTCI team brought together experts in power, HVAC, environmental control, communications, security surveillance, and plumbing, using advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to integrate the details of various system constructions, thus achieving precise planning and smooth construction process.

Project Highlights

Efficient and Stable Data Center through Successful Commissioning

Prior to this project, CTCI had extensive experience in petrochemical project commissioning; this was CTCI’s first commissioning work for advanced technology facility. Under the guidance of the owner’s commissioning consultants, CTCI fully participated and completed this milestone. Commissioning work included power system testing, mechanical equipment load operation, cooling system performance validation, environmental control communications, and fire safety system linkage tests. All data underwent rigorous monitoring to ensure the entire system meets design standards under full load.

During commissioning, the CTCI team demonstrated excellent coordination and problem-solving skills, promptly identifying and resolving issues to ensure stable operation of all equipment. This showcased their professional skills and adaptability in mechanical and electrical equipment integration and system debugging. Moreover, the team maintained close communication with the owner, continuously optimizing the commissioning process to achieve the most complete testing results.

Innovative Technology

Excellent Cross-System Interface Integration Capability

For advanced technology facility projects such as TPE11 Data Center, integration work is key. And this is what CTCI team excels in. The team has outstanding capability of cross-system interface integration, which helps drive project progress, meeting the typical demand for shorter construction duration and higher efficiency relative to other industries.

Unlike the common practice in refinery and petrochemical plant construction, where process areas and utility areas can be modularly divided to reduce interference, advanced technology facility projects are more complex because they not only involve the owner’s core equipment and interface but also the interfaces between Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) systems—power, HVAC, fire protection, environmental control, communications, security, and water supply and drainage—and even involves the interface between MEP and civil/structural steel works. So to reduce site rework and facilitate smooth construction across systems, as well as concentrate resources and schedule arrangements, thorough integration work at the project’s early stage greatly affects subsequent progress.

In this project, the CTCI team required all system contractors to incorporate construction drawings and all visible objects into the BIM model. The team held regular BIM meetings with system engineers and contractors to review all details—from the overall framework to each room—integrating civil, structural, architectural (CSA) aspects, steel structures, MEP equipment, fire systems, piping, pre-embedded underground pipes, ducts, busbars, power cables, communication cables, cable trays, even to smaller things such as instruments, switches, outlets, and hanger brackets, leaving nothing omitted.

Such thorough examination requires extensive manpower and design planning time upfront, but CTCI's effort paid off, as this resulted in highly precise and accurate data in the BIM model, which served as solid reference for site construction sequencing, equipment delivery scheduling, contractor work, inspection procedures, and as-built drawings, achieving high accuracy and efficient construction.

Looking ahead, adhering to the philosophy that prioritizes quality and excellence, CTCI will continue collaborating with clients and suppliers to promote progress and innovation in the data center industry. Drawing on the successful TPE11 Data Center experience, CTCI will  make critical impact in key infrastructure construction such as data center domestically and internationally, helping clients and the technology industry develop even further.

Message from the Project Team

As CTCI Group's landmark project and first venture into the data center sector, this undertaking faced not only a tight construction schedule but also the core challenge of commissioning. To ensure the final outcome, the team enforced strict quality control from the very beginning. Meticulous on-site inspections and detailed documentation consolidation were instrumental in reaching the milestone of a successful commissioning.

On the project management level, balancing adherence to the company's standard operating procedures with the imperative to meet the client's high expectations has been an invaluable, hands-on learning experience for the team.

── Project Manager of TPE11 Andy Tseng

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