TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO ADDRESS THE POWER SAGS AND SWELLS THAT OCCUR IN EVERY CABINET , IT ’ S IMPORTANT TO FIRST LOOK AT EXACTLY WHY THEY HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE .
With density demands intensifying , actionable data on power at the rack level can be hard to come by . Marc Cram , Director of New Market Development for Legrand ' s Data , Power and Control division , explains how increased visibility can create the future of PDU efficiency .
et ’ s talk rack density . It used to be an issue only for major
L hyperscalers , but – don ’ t look now – it ’ s becoming a mainstream issue for standard data centres in traditional environments . A decade ago , power density per rack was typically about 5 kW . Now , 8.2 kW is average and almost a third of racks feature 10kW or more .
Some predict that 15 to 20 kW per rack will be the standard in the next few years . With the rise of high-performance computing and the ever-pertinent search for better ROI among tenants , increasing density presents a burgeoning challenge data centres should be preparing for . What can they do to adapt ?
Leveling up , powering up
There are many considerations when optimising for rack density , weight limitations , cooling systems and containment configuration , among them . However , the most glaring element looming among these is power efficiency . If the goal is supporting something like 12 kW per rack without blowing your budget , stranded capacity and zombie servers are not an option . Optimising operational efficiency with a data centre ’ s most costly and essential resource – electricity – is suddenly more important than ever .
When focusing on the power efficiency of IT components , it makes sense to look at the PDU first and foremost . Rack PDUs are crucial to data centre efficiency , but traditionally PDU power assessments are completed only once , at initial installation . IT and facility managers create a power usage estimate , factor it into an operations plan and then move on to other pressing matters .
If a data centre is renovated then a second evaluation may occur , but this means years pass before rack power efficiency issues might be diagnosed – if they are ever diagnosed at all . After all , as long as a data centre avoids service downtime , why worry about power supply ?
When we ’ re talking about efficiency , it ’ s not strictly about downtime . It ’ s about power quality even when things are up and running . Glitches , spikes , disturbances , flickers , blinks – they ’ re part of everyday life at a data centre . However ,
TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO ADDRESS THE POWER SAGS AND SWELLS THAT OCCUR IN EVERY CABINET , IT ’ S IMPORTANT TO FIRST LOOK AT EXACTLY WHY THEY HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE .
Power , PDUs and progress : How enhanced visibility will lead to a new era of efficiency
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