Data Center Equipment Design & Engineering
At Acorn Product Development, data center equipment design and engineering isn’t just a capability—it’s part of our history. Our earliest projects focused on designing rack-based equipment that could withstand demanding enterprise environments, and for more than 30 years we’ve been perfecting them for each new generation of computing.
That history gives us a unique vantage point on how to design for both the needs of today and the demands of tomorrow. As a result, companies such as HP, Dell, and Cisco have used our engineering design services to develop servers, switches, and storage devices that stay ahead of trends.
Cisco
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HP
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Apple
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Dell
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Arista
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Sun
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Network Appliance
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Fujitsu
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Juniper
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Huawei
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IBM
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NetGear
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Arastra
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A10 Networks
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Cisco - HP - Apple - Dell - Arista - Sun - Network Appliance - Fujitsu - Juniper - Huawei - IBM - NetGear - Arastra - A10 Networks -
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Take advantage of 30 years of engineering and design expertise on your next project.
Data Center Equipment Development Capabilities
Every data center product must balance performance, reliability, and scalability. Whether it’s servers, switches, or storage devices, thoughtful rack layout and chassis design set the foundation for system efficiency. Leveraging standards like Open Rack ensures compatibility and long-term usability, while specialized builds such as GPU cluster racks address the growing demand for AI and high-performance computing.
Mechanical & Structural Engineering
Data center hardware must be designed for rigidity and strength while remaining serviceable and adaptable. Structural analysis and ruggedization techniques keep equipment reliable in varied environments, while modularity ensures racks can grow with future needs.
Structural analysis & FEA (Finite Element Analysis)
Ruggedization for demanding environments
Modularity for scalability and upgrades
Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
Great design is only successful if it can be built at scale, cost-effectively, and consistently. Design for Manufacturability (DFM) ensures materials, processes, tolerance management and assembly methods are optimized from the start—reducing costs, improving quality, and speeding time-to-market.
Advanced tolerance analysis based on supplier capability
Materials selection & optimization
Cost-effective manufacturing support
Production-ready solutions
Thermal Management
As computing power grows, so does the challenge of heat. Effective thermal management ensures performance, longevity, and energy efficiency. From airflow optimization to advanced liquid cooling, careful engineering keeps systems running within safe limits while reducing operational costs.
Airflow optimization
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
Thermal analysis
Advanced liquid cooling solutions
Electrical & Power Systems
Consistent and reliable power delivery is essential for high-density racks. Designing power distribution, bus bars, and delivery systems ensures efficiency, safety, and scalability as equipment evolves. Proper engineering minimizes downtime and helps maximize uptime performance.
Advanced architectures such as orthogonal interconnection
Rack power delivery design
Power distribution systems
Bus bar implementation
Human Factors & Usability
Even the most advanced systems need to be easy to service and maintain. Considering human factors—such as ergonomic access, tool-less entry, and intuitive cable management—reduces downtime and makes racks more user-friendly for operators. Hot Swap Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) add another layer of serviceability, enabling fast and efficient module swaps that keep systems up and running.
Ergonomic access & serviceability
Cable management & routing
Interconnects & cabling optimization
Field replaceable units (FRUs)
