ADI News

Cloud Storage Data Center Energy Management

Existing literature regarding data center energy consumption paints a picture of an energy hungry beast, which is not far from the truth in contemporary society. Data installations across the globe are expanding, increasing in number and requiring growing amounts of electrical energy to keep their facilities operating. This extremely high energy utilization is also causing the release of massive amounts of green house gases into the environment, with current emissions from IT establishments estimated to equal those of the airline industry.

The United States Environmental Agency (EPA), computer component manufacturers, private companies and governmental bodies are all well aware of the financial and environmental issues stemming from high energy utilization, and have consequently been working toward changing IT operations. With the latest figures showing that energy utilization in the United States increased by a whopping 19 percent between 2011 and 2012 however, the current energy conservation measures being taken do not seem to be sufficient.

Energy Management in Cloud Storage Data Centers

This is making many data center operators extremely nervous, as it is possible that at some point in the not too distant future, there will simply not be enough energy produced to meet demand. This is also causing some larger companies such as Google and Yahoo to take matters into their own hands.

Google is a company that appears to take their energy utilization extremely seriously, with the company revealing numerous alterations that it has made to its data centers in order to make them more energy efficient. One of the changes that Google seems to be most proud of is the changes that the company has made to it center components, including its cooling systems.

Google has proudly declared that it can now operate many of its data centers without utilizing chillers, which when coupled with other changes, has made it possible for the company to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent. The company further states that its data centers now utilize less that 0.01 percent of global electrical energy however, nothing is said about the company’s outsourced IT work, which is undertaken at data centers owned by other businesses.

Yahoo is another company that is said to operate extremely energy efficient data centers, with the company winning position 9 from 20 on Newsweek’s ‘Green Rankings’. Yahoo has also done away with chillers in many of its data centers, and has reported that the facilities require 95 percent less water and 40 percent less electricity. If large companies such as Google and Yahoo are reducing their data center energy utilization to such an extent however, than one feels the need to ask: Why is the amount of energy utilized by data centers still rising so quickly?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question due to the multitude of factors involved. It can however be deduced that the number of new data centers being constructed, and the technology utilized in existing facilities needs to be more closely monitored and regulated.

In conclusion, it is proposed that the alterations which have been made to data centers are not sufficient enough to stem the energy utilization of these installations. It is believed that more research is required and that increasingly radical measures need to be taken in order for any progress to be made.

Energy Efficient Data Center Components: What Constitutes ‘Green’ Equipment?

IT infrastructures are currently reported to consume over 4.5 billion dollars worth of electricity in theUnited Statesannually. This figure has been highly criticized by environmental groups, who consider this level of energy utilization to be both environmentally and financially unsustainable. Data centers in particular have been pinpointed as a major concern, owing to the fact that these installations are responsible for over 10 percent of the energy consumed by United States IT establishments.

Various governmental organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have consequently felt the need to step in and stem the amount of energy being utilized by data installations. Some of the measures taken by the EPA have been: the implementation of the ‘Energy Star’ program, which rates electrical components based on their energy efficiency; and federal executive order 13423, which is aimed at forcing governmental agencies to implement energy efficient technologies.

Both private and public installations, prompted by the EPA’s influence, and the prospect of new carbon taxes on the horizon, have consequently scrambled to conform and utilize ‘green’ technologies. Some component manufacturing companies have seen this as a great business opportunity, and have consequently released generation after generation of ‘green’ computing equipment such as servers and storage devices.

Green Cloud Storage

Many of these ‘green’ devices are substantial improvements on previous, less energy efficient models. The blade server for example is said to offer great energy savings compared to previous server designs however, there is very little independent research into many of these products, with most of the existing literature coming from bias sources, such as the manufacturers themselves.

This has been extremely problematic as until recently (2010) components such blade servers were generally not energy star rated, owing to the fact that the server and chassis were frequently manufactured by different companies. This meant that companies looking to purchase components had to trust the manufactures word regarding the energy efficiency of the product. Since then however, the EPA has implemented a procedure for supplying servers with an energy star rating although, joining the energy star rating program is voluntary, meaning that companies can choose weather or not they make the changes required to join.

Many of the larger IT component manufacturers such as Dell and Hewlett Packard are voluntary members of the EPA Energy Star program, and consequently market their products as ‘green’, environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Other companies that aren’t members of the program can however, still market their products as ‘green’ and supply their own literature to support their claims.

This is something that is seen as problematic within the IT community, as often the products don’t live up to the descriptions provided in the literature. It is also detrimental to companies which have complied with the EPA’s stringent energy star standards.

In conclusion, it can be noted that ‘green’ computing components are the way of the future, as companies can’t continue to consume the large amount of energy that is contemporarily required. This new sector does however; need more regulation and control, as manufacturers are currently selling ‘green’ products that are in no way standardized or properly researched by outside parties.

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