Mission Critical - Winter 2008 - (Page 66)

Data continued Figure 3: Advanced power MOSFET packaging technology Application Example The modularity, low price, and size of blade servers makes them an ideal way to expand capacity as needed within the already crowded confines of the data center. So the trend is to add racks containing high-density blades. The problem is the large amount of heat that such racks generate. The latest blades may have up to four processors per board, and their power requirements are significant. This creates thermal problems that limit the ability of users to take full advantage of the computing density blades offer. In Providing vendor neutral certiﬁcation and training for those responsible for and working in data centers. Enroll Now for 2008-2009 programs! • Earn college credits and learn best data center practices • Earn recognition and drive your career forward Courses are 100% online, instructor facilitated Program offerings include Facilities Management, Systems and Software, Networking, Operations and Process Management, Security and Product Development and Financial Planning practice, data centers often leave slots empty to provide more cooling and keep systems within thermal specifications. A mainstream dual processor blade can consume between 600 and 1000 W on its own, while the data center will dissipate an equal amount in infrastructure and cooling losses. Assuming total data center power consumption for each blade at 1.6 kW equates to over 14,000 kWh and almost $1300 per blade per year in operating costs. These two methods can help reduce the total power consumed in the blade, reducing the cooling requirements, and thus allowing greater blade density in the rack. The first method is to employ highly efficient on-board power supplies. Approximately 80 percent of the power drawn by the blade is consumed through the on-board power supplies, so the efficiency of the power supplies has a large impact on the system efficiency. Much of this power is consumed through the microprocessors and memory. For example, a typical highperformance microprocessor will operate at 130 amps at 1.1 volts, or 146 W. Today it is typical for on-board power supplies to have about 80 percent efficiency, or 20 percent losses. With advanced power control and conversion technology, such as International Rectifier’s XPhase scalable multi-phase architecture and DirectFET MOSFETs, it is possible to increase system efficiency to over 88 percent. By reducing the power supply’s power loss by 40 percent (from 20 percent losses to 12 percent losses) about 900 kWh and $82 per year can be saved. Accurate real-time power monitoring ICs from International Rectifier can be part of an advanced power system that reduces dynamic power loss in the blade, an additional 2100 kWh and $191 per year can be saved. In total, by employing these advanced power management techniques, 3000 kWh and $273 per year can be saved (over 21 percent). The cost of employing these technologies is significantly less than the savings generated. These approaches also offer secondary benefits. Board level fans can run slower, thus saving more energy, as there is less heat to distribute and acoustic noise can also be reduced. Summary Over the next three years, up to 25 percent of server and full data center heat load can be saved with the adoption of optimized power management systems that incorporate advanced power stages, accurate and dynamic power monitoring, and high-performance power controllers. This new approach will allow data center equipment vendors to meet their performance objectives on time and enable a new generation of high-performance and cost effective products aimed at servicing the insatiable performance needs of the ever-changing media environment. ■ ◗ REPRINTS OF THIS ARTICLE are available by contacting Jill DeVries at devriesj@bnpmedia.com or at 248-244-1726. Visit us at www.idcp.org for course information and enrollment materials Email: susan.scanlon@marist.edu New industry driven programs currently under development including “The Greening of the Data Center” MARIST www.marist.edu all courses offered by Marist College FREE INFO: WRITE 50 66 | Mission Critical Fall 2007 http://www.idcp.org http://www.idcp.org http://www.marist.edu

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mission Critical - Winter 2008

Mission Critical - Winter 2008 Table of Contents Editorial: What Have We Been Doing? Cronin’s Workshop: Imagining the Perfect Data Center Power And Cooling Solution Digital Power: The Next Edge in Business Resiliency Zinc Whiskers: Keeping Up With The Green Movement Mission Critical Care: Shipping, Staging, and Installation Legal Perspectives: “A Reliable Energy Supply Is Key to Data Center Success” Continued Payback, Instant Protection Beyond the Nines The Green Information Technology Revolution Health Care Network Offers Glimpse of the Future of Backup Power High-Density Data Centers – Discuss, Design, Deploy High Performance Data Centers Call for Innovative Cooling Techniques More Data in the Data Center Five Considerations for Powering Data Center Racks New Products Industry News Events Classifieds Letters Ad Index Datacenter Wiki: wiki-Mission Critical

Mission Critical - Winter 2008

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