Managing and Understanding Artificial Intelligence Solutions







Data centers in colleges and universities are crucial for supporting the extensive technological infrastructure required for modern education and research. These centers house critical servers and storage systems that manage vast amounts of data, ensuring reliable access to academic resources, administrative applications, and communication networks. They enable the secure storage and processing of sensitive information, including student records, faculty research, and institutional data.
Uptime Institute Tier Classification
Moreover, data centers facilitate advanced research by providing the computational power needed for data-intensive studies in fields like bioinformatics, climate science, and artificial intelligence. They support virtual learning environments and online course management systems, essential for the increasingly prevalent hybrid and online education models. Efficient data centers also contribute to campus sustainability goals by optimizing energy use through modern, eco-friendly technologies.
ANSI/TIA 942 Data Center Infrastructure Standard
Additionally, robust data center infrastructure enhances the university’s ability to attract top-tier faculty and students by demonstrating a commitment to cutting-edge technology and resources. They also play a vital role in disaster recovery and business continuity, ensuring that educational and administrative functions can resume quickly after disruptions. Overall, data centers are integral to the academic mission, operational efficiency, and strategic growth of colleges and universities.
We have followed development of the technical standards that govern the success of these “installations” since 1993; sometimes nudging technical committees — NFPA, IEEE, ASHRAE, BICSI and UL. The topic is vast and runs fast so today we will review, and perhaps respond to, the public consultations that are posted on a near-daily basis. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Related:
Ernst & Young LLP: Why there is no silver bullet for data center financing
Power Management For Data Centers Challenges And Opportunities
Brown University Electrical Design Criteria | Information Technology Resources Policy
The University of Michigan has supported the voice of the United States education facility industry since 1993 — the second longest tenure of any voice in the United States. That voice has survived several organizational changes but remains intact and will continue its Safer-Simpler-Lower Cost-Longer Lasting priorities on Code Panel 3 in the 2029 Edition.
Today, during our customary “Open Door” teleconference we will examine the technical concepts under the purview of Code Panel 3; among them:
Article 200 Use and Identification of Grounded Conductors
Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
Article 270 Higher voltage grounding and bonding
Article 750 Lower voltage grounding and bonding
Annex D Example D14
IEEE-IAS/PES JTCC Representative: Daleep Mohla
Public Input on the 2029 Edition will be received until April 9, 2026.
Time sensitive November 11, 2025 Update:
The project, located on the Texas A&M University System’s Rellis Campus in Bryan (Brazos County), has faced significant delays. Originally slated to begin construction by November 2021, it was pushed back due to the 2021 Winter Storm Uri. In November 2023, construction was announced to start in 2024, with an expected opening in Q3 2024 (July–September). However, no sources confirm completion or operations.Recent developments include:
The project’s official site (rellisdrc.com) states “Site will be available soon,” indicating it’s still under preparation. It’s designed as a 225,000 sq ft Tier III facility with colocation, cloud services, and educational spaces for workforce training.
FYI:
Company building RELLIS Campus Data & Research Center files for bankruptcy
Construction to begin on Rellis data center in Texas in 2024
The RELLIS Data and Research Center will be a public – private development with Texas A&M University. The data center will be built on the new RELLIS Campus located in College Station, Texas. It will offer cloud storage and outstanding managed services. The RELLIS Academy and Research Lab offers the ability for Texas A&M University to give real world data center experience to both students and faculty.
IEEE Standards Association Public Review
Related Issues and Recent Research | Federal Legislation
This title sets the standard of care for construction, operation and maintenance of power and telecommunication infrastructure on the supply side of the point of common coupling. It is the first title to contemplate when weather disasters happen; with most public utilities bound to its best practice assertions by statute. Pre-print of Change Proposals for changes to appear in 2028 Edition will be available by 1 July 2025; with 24 March 2026 as the close date for comments on proposed changes.
Project Introduction for the 2028 Edition (2:39 minutes)
Changes proposals for the Edition will be received until 15 May 2024
Project Workspace: Update Data Tables in IEEE Recommended Practice for the Design of Reliable Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Electrical Resource Adequacy
NARUC Position on NFPA (NEC) and IEEE (NESC) Harmonization
The standard of care for electrical safety at high and low voltage is set by both the NEC and the NESC. There are gaps, however (or, at best “gray areas”) — the result of two technical cultures: utility power culture and building fire safety culture. There is also tradition. Local system conditions and local adaptation of regulations vary. Where there is a gap; the more rigorous requirement should govern safety of the public and workers.
The 2023 National Electrical Safety Code (NESC)– an IEEE title often mistaken for NFPA’s National Electrical Code (NEC) — was released for public use about six months ago; its normal 5-year revision cycle interrupted by the circumstances of the pandemic. Compared with the copy cost of the NEC, the NESC is pricey, though appropriate for its target market — the electric utility industry. Because the 2023 revision has not been effectively “field tested” almost all of the available support literature is, effectively, “sell sheets” for pay-for seminars and written by authors presenting themselves as experts for the battalions of litigators supporting the US utility industry. Without the ability to sell the NESC to prospective “insiders” the NESC would not likely be commercial prospect for IEEE. As the lawsuits and violations and conformance interests make their mark in the fullness of time; we shall see the 2023 NESC “at work”.
Office of the President: Economic Benefits of Increasing Electric Grid Resilience to Weather Outages
Change Proposals are now being accepted from the public for revisions to the 2023 Edition of the National Electrical Safety Code® #NESC through 15 May 2024.
Learn more: https://t.co/jbxWtLPS6r pic.twitter.com/FRvZly1DoH
— IEEE Standards Association | IEEE SA (@IEEESA) April 11, 2024
“Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world.”
– Isaac Asimov pic.twitter.com/IDl3dWLVgn— World of Engineering (@engineers_feed) February 26, 2024
Research Tracks:
Reliability of Communication Systems needed for the autonomous vehicle transformation
Standards:
Presentation | FERC-NERC-Regional Entity Joint Inquiry Into Winter Storm Elliott
IEEE Guide for Joint Use of Utility Poles with Wireline and/or Wireless Facilities
NESC Rule 250B and Reliability Based Design
NESC Requirements (Strength and Loading)
Engineering Analysis of Possible Effects of 2017 NESC Change Proposal to Remove 60′ Exemption
Joint Use of Electric Power Transmission & Distribution Facilities and Equipment
A Framework to Quantify the Value of Operational Resilience for Electric Power Distribution Systems
Technologies for Interoperability in Microgrids for Energy Access
National Electrical Safety Code: Revision Cycles 1993 through 2023
February 24, 2023
The new code goes into effect 1 February 2023, but is now available for access on IEEE Xplore! Produced exclusively by IEEE, the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) specifies best practices for the safety of electric supply and communication utility systems at both public and private utilities. The bibliography is expanding rapidly:
NESC 2023: Introduction to the National Electrical Safety Code
NESC 2023: Safety Rules for Installation and Maintenance of Overhead Electric Supply
NESC 2023: Rules for Installation and Maintenance of Electric Supply Stations
October 31, 2022
The IEEE NESC technical committee has released a “fast track” review of proposed changes to fault-managed power system best practice:
CP5605 Provides a definition of new Fault Managed Power System (FMPS) circuits used for the powering of
communications equipment clearly defines what constitutes a FMPS circuit for the purposes of application of the NESC
Rules of 224 and 344
https://ieee-sa.imeetcentral.com/p/eAAAAAAASPXtAAAAADhMnPs
CP5606 Provides new definitions of Communication Lines to help ensure that Fault Managed Power Systems (FMPS)
circuits used for the exclusive powering of communications equipment are clearly identified as communications lines
and makes an explicit connection to Rule 224B where the applicable rules for such powering circuits are found.
https://ieee-sa.imeetcentral.com/p/eAAAAAAASPXpAAAAAFfvWIs
CP5607 The addition of this exception permits cables containing Fault Managed Power System (FMPS) circuits used for
the exclusive powering of communications equipment to be installed without a shield.
https://ieee-sa.imeetcentral.com/p/eAAAAAAASPXuAAAAAEEt3p4
CP5608 The addition of this exception permits cables containing Fault Managed Power System (FMPS) circuits used for
the exclusive powering of communications equipment to be installed without a shield.
https://ieee-sa.imeetcentral.com/p/eAAAAAAASPXvAAAAAGrzyeI
We refer them to the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee for further action, if any.
August 5, 2022
We collaborate closely with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee (IEEE E&H) to negotiate the standard of care for power security on the #SmartCampus since many campus power systems are larger than publicly regulated utilities. Even when they are smaller, the guidance in building the premise wiring system — whether the premise is within a building, outside the building (in which the entire geography of the campus footprint is the premise), is inspired by IEEE Standards Association administrated technical committees.
Today we begin a list of noteworthy changes to be understood in the next few Power colloquia. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.
After "slipping a pole" in its revision cadence (owed to the circumstances of the pandemic) the 2023 NESC is rolling out for incorporation by reference into public safety laws relevant to education communities with #WiseCampus ambitions.@ieee_pes @IEEESAhttps://t.co/7EaTBgxa8X pic.twitter.com/jPvZNYzWBi
— IEEECampus (@IEEECampus) August 5, 2022
February 18, 2021
Several proposals recommending improvements to the 2017 National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) were submitted to the IEEE subcommittees drafting the 2022 revision of the NESC. Some of the proposals deal with coordination with the National Electrical Code — which is now in its 2023 revision cycle. Keep in mind that that NESC is revised every 5 years at the moment; the NEC is revised every 3 years.
The original University of Michigan standards advocacy enterprise has been active in writing the NESC since the 2012 edition and set up a workspace for use by electrical professionals in the education industry. We will be using this workspace as the 2022 NESC continues along its developmental path:
The revision schedule — also revised in response to the circumstances of the pandemic — is linked below::
NESC 2023 Edition Revision Schedule*






The NESC is a standing item on the 4-times monthly teleconferences of the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities committee. The next online meeting is shown on the top menu of the IEEE E&H website:
We have a copy of the first draft of the 2023 NESC and welcome anyone to join us for an online examination during any of Power & ICT teleconferences. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.
Business unit leaders, facility managers and electrical engineers working in the education facilities industry may be interested in the campus power system reliability database. Forced outages on large research campuses, for example, can have enterprise interruption cost of $100,000 to $1,000,000 per minute. The campus power system forced outage database discriminates between forced outages attributed to public utility interruptions and forced outages attributed to the university-owned power system. The E&H committee will convey some of the discipline applied by the IEEE 1366 technical committee into its study of campus power systems and, ultimately, setting a benchmark for the standard of care for large university power systems.
* The IEEE changed the nominal date of the next edition; likely owed to pandemic-related slowdown typical for most standards developing organizations.
Issue: [16-67]
Contact: Mike Anthony, Robert G. Arno, Lorne Clark, Nehad El-Sharif, Jim Harvey, Kane Howard, Joe Weber, Guiseppe Parise, Jim Murphy
Category: Electrical, Energy Conservation & Management, Occupational Safety
ARCHIVE: University of Michigan Advocacy in the NESC 2007 – 2017
The 2023 National Electrical Safety Code (#NESC) will be published this August. Stay tuned for new resources from #IEEE coming soon! Read about the upcoming changes here:https://t.co/VLXCNaf74S
— IEEE Educational Activities (@IEEEeducation) June 8, 2022
LEARN MORE:
P1366 – Guide for Electric Power Distribution Reliability Indices
University Design Guidelines that reference the National Electrical Safety Code
Application of Big Data in Power System Reform
Abstract: Power grid operation and maintenance decision-making reform is an important part of power system reform. With the construction of massive historical quasi real-time data management platform, the reform of power system is also advancing. However, in the face of massive data explosion, the business level and business logic become disorganized and redundant. Based on the actual situation of Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau, the sg-erp data center is composed of structured data center, massive data center, unstructured data center and power grid GIS data center. With the unprecedented growth of business application data, the data center can improve business logic and promote power system reform. The experimental results show that big data technology has a broad application prospect in the reform of power industry.
CLICK HERE for complete paper
Power Management For Data Centers Challenges And Opportunities
Today at the usual hour we explore how Best Practice Case Studies on the use of cell phones in K-12 schools “might” evolve into a de-facto standard for all school districts. Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Case studies evolve into general consensus standards through a multi-stage, evidence-driven process:
Timeframe: typically 5–15 years, depending on industry pace and evidence strength.
Readings:
IEEE: How to use effectively smartphone in the classroom
IEEE: Acceptable Use of Technology in Schools: Risks, Policies, and Promises
IEEE: A Review of the Repercussions of Mobile Phones and the Internet on Education
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2020—The Federal Communications Commission today announced important changes to the Rural Health Care (RHC) and E-Rate programs that will make it easier for broadband providers to support telehealth and remote learning efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has waived the gift rules until September 30, 2020 to enable service providers to offer, and RHC and ERate program participants to solicit and accept, improved connections or additional equipment for telemedicine or remote learning during the coronavirus outbreak.
More
Low Power FM (LPFM) Broadcast Radio Stations
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New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
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