It is important to distinguish between modularity as applied to data center architecture with modularity as applied to devices used within a data center. There has been a long term trend toward modularity in all of the devices used in data centers including servers, storage devices, networking equipment, and UPS systems. More recently, we have seen modularity in computer room air handling (CRAH) systems and power distribution systems. The benefits of modularity in these devices are well known, including serviceability, re-configurability, provisioning speed, capacity changes, acquisition lead time etc. The use of these modular devices can be an important element of a modular data center architecture. However, the use of modular devices does not mean a data center has a modular architecture. ![[Pasted image 20241011211207.png]]