Fundamental Technology for Sustainable Data Centers
With the data and data center industry under increasing pressure, we explore what technologies data centers can adopt to not only grow economically but also in a way that is good for the environment.
Fundamental Technology for Sustainable Data Centers
Data and Data centers are a huge industry and with the demand for advancements in technology ever increasing, the industry is only set to grow, according to research house Aritzon, to an incredible $251 Billion by 2026. Whilst this is a great opportunity for data center leaders, it also poses a challenge as we, as a population, urge organisations to become more sustainable.
Currently, data centers are estimated to use 1% of all global energy, however in the UK this figure could be a lot higher with a study for the UKREC calculating incredible 12% of all the electricity created in the UK going into running our data centers including on-prem facilities. In an ever-changing world, and with climate change being at the forefront of our and our consumers minds, the need to reduce this figure should be a priority for all organisations.
Fundamental Technology for Sustainable Data Centers
The impact of "legacy" data center estates
Many data centers are currently built with a combination of legacy and newer estate and technology. And, whilst we may think that this is a progressive way of operating, the blended approach, as technology and infrastructure continue to grow, can result in these data centers being inefficient and poorly performing in comparison to newer centers. Whilst adopting newer technologies is a positive step, many data centers are still wasting huge amounts of power and water and struggling to scale up as demand for performance, speed and security, not to mention availability increases. Organisations will therefore need to look at ways to move forward and identify genuine opportunities for change.
It is currently estimated that by the end of the decade, between 1080 TWh and 8000 TWh will be needed to power the digital economy. With this growth in mind, industry leaders need to ensure that they can not only benefit financially from the growth in the digital industry but also create a cost effective, sustainable data centers. There are some key elements and technologies that data centers should consider in the Race to Zero
At Gaia Edge, we know that making the shift to sustainability across technology estates starts with a real understanding of your existing performance, that’s why we’ve created this downloadable Data Center Technology Fundamentals checklist. Drawing on our 65+ years of data center expertise we’re combining some key areas together into this useful tool for you and your teams.
Score yourself and your organisations’ performance for each of the fundamental steps that you’ve implemented, you’re looking for a maximum of 210, 10 points for total adoption, 5 points for semi-adoption and 0 points for no adoption.
Fundamental Technology for Sustainable Data Centers
Audit Assessment of existing and future availability needs.
Audit Assessment of existing and future technical needs
Audit of existing data center estate for performance and risk issues.
PUE Power Usage Effectiveness Audit and Scores
M&E Mechanical and Electrical Audit
Deployment of modular data centers where applicable
Increased Utilisation of storage Network and compute
DCIM – Data Center Infrastructure Management Software
Energy Efficient Lighting
Smart Lighting/ AC/ Facilities
EV Charging where applicable
Fuel Cell Technology
Reutilisation of Heat
Solar Power
Wind Power
REC´s/ Renewable Energy Credits
Replacement of Diesel fuel
Ambient Cooling Technologies
Immersive Cooling Technologies
Scalable Infrastructure and Rightsizing
Data center proximity to workforce, remote hands etc.
Modularisation
One area leaders should be considering is modularisation. For existing or new data center deployments – modularisation or modular data centers allow organisations to add capacity quickly, cost-effectively, and with the latest green, sustainability credentials. Modular data center structures are typically purpose-built and reduce the energy, time, and costs associated with adding traditional bricks and mortar space.
Increased Utilisation - Better spec hardware, less hardware required.
With data centers scaling up, and more space being taken up by additional hardware, virtualisation of environments and servers could provide to be a valuable option for leaders when working towards a more sustainable future. Less machines in turn means less hardware and physical space being used up with other advantages as a result being the need for power considerably reduced, as is the need for cooling and therefore this could all result in lower energy consumption.
Data Center Infrastructure Management Systems
Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) gives leaders an overall view of how the data center is performing so that energy, equipment, and floor space are being used as efficiently as can be. Purpose built DCIM software allows for the accurate and consistent measurement and tracking of all energy and power consumptions in order to allow the facility to make continuous improvements on the journey to net zero.
The Light Switch
For many, lighting is often overlooked when it comes to efficiency. However, by switching to an energy-saving lighting system, it is estimated that data centers can achieve an efficiency saving of around 65% to 80% for lighting energy whilst also cutting down on energy spend.
Hardware Auditing
Hardware efficiency should also be taken into consideration. With new hardware being released at lighting speed and ever more regularly, it’s not long before current hardware becomes dated and outperformed by more effective and energy efficient systems. For data center leaders to keep on top of this, regular audits should be performed in order to maximise the value and longevity of the hardware.
Sustainable Fire Systems
Fires can be a worry for all data centers, the sheer number of machines that are consistently running and at risk of overheating could have devastating impacts if a fire was to break out. However, choosing a fire protection system this is both effective and sustainable might not be high on the agenda, though it should in the race to more sustainable data centers. Inert fire suppression systems are generally based upon argon, nitrogen & CO2 Mixes and using an inert gas system prevents additional toxic chemicals being released into the environment. Inert gas systems also have similar density to normal “air” which reduces the impact, energy and cost needed on additional room seals.
Immersive Cooling and Air Flow in Data Centers
The current data center cooling market is estimated to be around $20bn with the appetite for data at an all-time high. As hardware within the data centers is running endlessly to keep up with the demand, the need to keep the equipment cool is critical. If equipment overheats, which in the wrong climate it can do so, the results would be catastrophic, not to mention costly to organisations. However, the price of cooling is high with between 30 and 55% of the overall data center energy being used to cool down the hardware. Therefore, finding sustainable cooling solutions should be a priority for any provider.
Thankfully, new cooling technologies are emerging. Adopted by leading organisations such as Intel, Fujitsu and Facebook, immersion cooling is rapidly becoming the desired option for data center cooling. Immersion cooling, often referred to as liquid cooling or submerged cooling is where the hardware is placed into a SmartCoolant liquid and reduces cooling costs by around 95%. Not only does immersion cooling keep the equipment cool but it prolongs the life span of the hardware.
However, if your data center isn’t using immersive cooling, at the very least it should be using a hot and cold aisle design, which conserves energy by avoiding the mixing of hot and cold air. Exhausts are used to manage hot and cold airflow away from each other, with the hot air being removed from the facility.
Whilst hot and cold aisle design is a step in the right direction, for data centers not using this method or aren’t quite ready to move to immersion cooling, there are still more effective and energy-efficient ways of maximising airflow. These often include variable fan drives and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVACs) contained within plenums to distribute and remove air.
Fundamental Technology for Sustainable Data Centers