Strategies for a sustainable data centre Mr. Simon Perry analyst@pacificra.com Data centre and Facilities Managers will find themselves increasingly at the forefront of practical efforts to reduce their business’s energy use and emissions. What do such efforts look like and how do we get from here to a lower energy facility? An introduction to strategic approaches to reducing a facility’s energy and emissions footprint; with a look forward to joined up strategic business thinking concerning energy usage and what that will mean to the data centre and the business’s building portfolio. www.pacificra.com

Source: www.forbes.com Short term: energy price volatility

Short to medium term: carbon emissions

Medium term: energy availability

Power to the building Nearly 80% of available power is lost before it gets to you Energy loss (%) 70 25 7 30% 22.5% 21% Energy available 100% 0

REDUCE COST INCREASE REVENUE TACTICAL STRATEGIC Business responses and IT Adapt existing business model to minimise energy usage Innovate to take advantage of new market opportunities Datacentre Hardware Datacentre Thermodynamics Office IT equipment Print services Tele-commuting & Video conferencing Datacentre Power Supply Design Alternate computing models Datacentre consolidation Facilities energy usage reduction Efficient energy usage within existing business model

Today’s business focus Power in the building: Energy as used by the technology Power to the equipment r ationalisation C onsolidation AC versus DC supply Power for cooling better utilisation of equipment more efficient cooling systems t hermodynamic tuning

Power in the building:

Energy as used by the technology

Power to the equipment

r ationalisation

C onsolidation

AC versus DC supply

Power for cooling

better utilisation of equipment

more efficient cooling systems

t hermodynamic tuning

Building design Thermally efficiency of walls and roofing Windows in the data centre Atmospheric isolation Entry and Egress Wiring design: is wiring stopping effective cooling, or even causing heating? Drop ceiling and raised floor design

Thermally efficiency of walls and roofing

Windows in the data centre

Atmospheric isolation

Entry and Egress

Wiring design: is wiring stopping effective cooling, or even causing heating?

Drop ceiling and raised floor design

Power requirements in the building Average utilisation <10% Extremely low power efficiency High heat generation Average utilisation >60% Highly efficient power usage Extreme heat generation in a concentrated space

Average utilisation <10%

Extremely low power efficiency

High heat generation

Average utilisation >60%

Highly efficient power usage

Extreme heat generation in a concentrated space

Temperature and device reliability Most data centres run at 18-21  C In-built digital thermal sensors in CPUs TCase measures overall CPU temperature TJunction measures CPU core temperature Modern CPUs have maximum TCase values of c. 60-70  C TJunction generally >85  C (Intel states a top maximum core temperature of 100-140  C) A suitable architecture (e.g. Blade) can be run in an ambient environment of c30  C without too much long-term problem New theory: Relative humidity is the reliability killer

Most data centres run at 18-21  C

In-built digital thermal sensors in CPUs

TCase measures overall CPU temperature

TJunction measures CPU core temperature

Modern CPUs have maximum TCase values of c. 60-70  C

TJunction generally >85  C (Intel states a top maximum core temperature of 100-140  C)

A suitable architecture (e.g. Blade) can be run in an ambient environment of c30  C without too much long-term problem

New theory:

Relative humidity is the reliability killer

Computer equipment reliability

Cooling requirements Spot cooling is far more effective than overall cooling Hot aisles/cold aisles Forced laminar/turbulent cooling Routed cooling Routed heat removal Stepped cooling Natural cooling Humidity control (Dew point)

Spot cooling is far more effective than overall cooling

Hot aisles/cold aisles

Forced laminar/turbulent cooling

Routed cooling

Routed heat removal

Stepped cooling

Natural cooling

Humidity control (Dew point)

Big Picture Business Drivers 1900 2010 2000 1950 1930 1970 1980 Petrochemicals Industrial Production Transportation Post WWII rebuild Plastics Aviation Automotive Telecommunications Enterprise & Consumer computing Energy restrictions Energy reorganisation Emissions reduction Local resilience

Petrochemicals

Industrial Production

Transportation

Post WWII rebuild

Plastics

Aviation

Automotive

Telecommunications

Enterprise &

Consumer

computing

Energy restrictions

Energy reorganisation

Emissions reduction

Local resilience

REDUCE COST INCREASE REVENUE TACTICAL STRATEGIC Business responses and IT Adapt existing business model to minimise energy usage Innovate to take advantage of new market opportunities Datacentre Hardware Datacentre Thermodynamics Office IT equipment Print services Tele-commuting & Video conferencing Datacentre Power Supply Design Alternate computing models Datacentre consolidation Emissions reduction consulting Energy monitoring and control Alternative energy generation Supply chain reorganisation Co-locate facilities & renewable power Reduce embodied carbon Facilities energy usage reduction Efficient energy usage within existing business model

Recyclability - Power

(C)CHP (Community) Combined Heat and Power Generally gas powered smaller electricity generating plant Overcomes the problem of large centralised generating plant just losing c.20% of available energy through heat Overall thermal efficiency of around 80% Excess power and heat can be sold back to the grid or the community. >75% of Denmark’s energy comes from CCHP Available from low kW to large MW of power output

(Community) Combined Heat and Power

Generally gas powered smaller electricity generating plant

Overcomes the problem of large centralised generating plant just losing c.20% of available energy through heat

Overall thermal efficiency of around 80%

Excess power and heat can be sold back to the grid or the community.

>75% of Denmark’s energy comes from CCHP

Available from low kW to large MW of power output

Conclusions Energy efficient data centre is more than just about power and cooling to the hardware The building can be just as important as the equipment Management will require granular measurement Performance reporting will likely be legislated The whole area is incredibly complex – but the future will necessitate a better overall approach Future approaches will call upon the skills you are developing today

Energy efficient data centre is more than just about power and cooling to the hardware

The building can be just as important as the equipment

Management will require granular measurement

Performance reporting will likely be legislated

The whole area is incredibly complex – but the future will necessitate a better overall approach

Future approaches will call upon the skills you are developing today

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