Energy Efficiency in Data Centers: what you need to know!
Anyone who works in IT knows that energy efficiency is an increasingly important issue. In a world that is discussing climate change so intensely, investing in this aspect can be decisive for the future of the business.
Because these are critical environments that cannot afford to shut down, it is essential to promote energy efficiency in data centers. After all, this investment will reduce operating costs and environmental impacts.
Therefore, industry professionals must be aware of what can be done to optimize data center operations. Check it out!
Energy efficiency in data centers: a trend for the coming years?
The trend for the next few years is an accelerated increase in digital data production and traffic. The point is that the development of new technologies means that energy demand is also growing in line with this movement.
According to research by consulting firm IDC, the volume of digital data will increase from around 40 zettabytes in 2019 to 175 zpbs by 2025. 5G technology and products using artificial intelligence, for example, will have a huge impact on global data traffic.
It is therefore clear that companies need to pay attention to this new demand. Factors such as investment in mechanical and electrical infrastructure, design and equipment, as well as optimizing management and processes, help to achieve gains in energy efficiency.
Projections about the future of data centers indicate that they will have to be built, for example, in places like the high seas. In this sense, capturing sea winds will be an important investment. Another trend is the use of buoy systems that can transform the movement of waves into energy.
Why should your company care about an energy-efficient data center?
Data centers need to be energy efficient so that they don’t become trouble spots in terms of energy consumption. After all, this also entails major costs for the company — not to mention environmental damage.
In general, around 50% of the average power usage of a data center comes from air conditioning. Another large share of it is with critical IT loads, which reach 36%.
In this sense, another piece of data from the study highlights the need to invest in energy efficiency in data centers, since almost half of the electricity consumption related to a data center’s critical services is used for cooling.
These figures clearly show how the subject has the potential to reduce costs and optimize the operation of any company’s data centers. So let’s look at some practices for achieving these goals.
How can you achieve the much-desired energy efficiency in a data center?
To implement improvements in this regard, there are a few points that deserve attention and can be worked on. Here are some examples.
Cooling systems
Good airflow management prevents overcooling and energy waste. In addition, prioritize the use of newer equipment, with more modern technologies, to improve energy consumption.
Performance indicators
Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is an index that measures energy efficiency and takes into account the energy expenditure of the entire Data Center and the energy consumption of IT devices. It is recommended that your score be close to 1.0.
Organization
The good layout of the racks allows for the creation of hot and cold air corridors, a dynamic that helps with cooling. Modular data centers are also a more economical option, as they use more compact cooling systems, such as close-coupled.
Management software
Invest in data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software, which collects and interprets information. They allow IT professionals to evaluate relevant data in real time to optimize the use of technological resources.
What strategic actions can help?
In short, the future of the IT sector increasingly involves investments in green technologies. In this sense, the use of clean energies has proved fundamental to this industry.
In short, the future of the IT sector increasingly involves investments in green technologies. In this sense, the use of clean energies has proved fundamental to this industry.
The trend is for data centers to be built in places with lower temperatures and lower electricity costs. With this in mind, we have also listed three strategies to be adopted in the future to improve the functioning of data centers:
- Invest in server efficiency: always work with equipment that has greater processing capacity and lower energy consumption.
- Eliminate “idle power”: choose servers with the right configuration for your environment, avoiding idle computing resources.
- Precise redundancy: have a well-thought-out redundancy strategy, as this helps reduce data center energy consumption by up to 90%.
- Management and monitoring: management and monitoring are very important for continuously improving the energy efficiency of data centers.
Want to make it easier to get started? Nothing better than a standard that deals with this very issue.
What makes the ISO 50001 certificate different for the energy efficiency of data centers?
The ISO 50001 standard concerns the implementation of energy management systems. It establishes guidelines and practices that help reduce total consumption, costs, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts.
In addition, this standard presents guidelines on security, performance and energy efficiency. Its international parameters relate to the supply, use and consumption of energy in industry, commerce and other institutions.
The tip is to rely on a partner who provides a powerful, reliable technological infrastructure that meets these standards. Ascenty, for example, is ISO 50001 certified and focuses on the efficient use of electricity in its systems.
The company has more than 20 robust data centers that operate with high energy capacity. The technical teams, in turn, work continuously to monitor this infrastructure, ensuring the availability, accessibility, integrity and reliability of the network.
Do you want a high level of performance and energy efficiency at your data centers? If so, contact an Ascenty specialist and see how this can become a reality for your IT!