Building a Hyper
Energy-Efficient
Data Center
Tom Raftery
Blog: www.greenmonk.net
Email: tom@redmonk.com

CIX
• Cork Internet eXchange - CIX
• Irish hyper energy-efficient data centre

CIX Vision
• Energy-Efficient data centre
• Why?
• How?

Why? Climate change

Why?
• DC running costs
• Staffing - controllable
• Connectivity - decreasing
• Energy - increasing

Why? DC Energy
requirements
• Rack of equipment typically used
• 1.5 kW 8 years ago
• 4.5 kW 5 years ago and
• 15 kW in 2006!

Optimal DC environment

DC Energy Flow

Max Chiller Temp
Max Temp

Minimise Humidification
Minimise
Humidification

Minimise Water mixing
Water mixing

Minimise air mixing
Air mixing

Typical DC

Cold Aisle Containment

Free Cooling
Free Cooling

Free Cooling

Also
• Dimplex heat exchange unit
• Servers heat the CIX offices!
• Low resistance, slow speed air paths

Geek Porn

Geek Porn

Also
• NegaWatts
• Charge customers

Geek Porn

Power
• 10kv low impedence looped
connection to the national grid
• Using GE Super ECO UPS’s
offering >98% efficiency

Geek Porn

!
Power
o d
Normal mode
Bypass
Static bypass
supply
o
•Normal mode
• The output voltage is newly generated, Rectifier Inverter
independently from the input voltage
Rectifie AC DC Load
• Heat losses are present in rectifier and inverter r
G
DC AC
supply
Battery bank
•Super Eco Mode
• Load is supplied via the bypass Super Eco Mode
• UPS rectifier keeps the battery charged
Bypass
• UPS inverter switched off supply
Static bypass
(no heat losses)
Rectifier Inverter Transf.
Rectifie AC DC Load
r DC AC
supply
Battery bank

End Result
Standard DC CIX
Chiller 33% 12%
Humidifier 3% <1%
CRAC 9% 4%
IT Equipment 30% 80%
PDU 5% 0.01%
UPS 18% <2%
Lighting 1% <1%
Switch Gear 1% 1%

Conclusion
• Simple steps taken
• Large savings and USP

References
• Uptime Institute - www.upsite.com
• APC - www.apc.com
• GE - www.ge.com
• CIX Energy Efficiency White Paper - www.cix.ie/air-
conditioning-efficiency-at-the-cix-data-centre

Thanks
Tom Raftery
Blog: www.greenmonk.net
Email: tom@redmonk.com