Blogs
Highlights
Categories
Tags
Analytics B2C Big Data Bring your own device Business Business Models Cloud Computing Collaboration Command and Control Consumerization Data Delivery Models eCar Economy Enterprise 2.0 Facebook help desk Innovation Internet IT Leadership IT Management IT Operations J2016 Journey 2014 London 2012 Media Mobile Mobile Payments Mobility New Media Open Innovation Organizational Change Payments Predictive Analytics Product Lifecycle Management Security Smart Mobility Smarter organizations Social Media Social Networks Social Organization Sustainability Sustainability Tracks Trends Video Vision White Papers Working Environment Workplace
Watch this space: data-centers may be too hot to handle
December 1st, 2011 Paul Albada Jelgersma Tags: Automation, CO2, Command and Control, Data Center, Sustainability, Sustainability
Posted in Firm of the Future, Scientific Community, Strategy & Innovation, Trends |
Global warming is certainly a topic that the IT industry should care about, especially if you consider the way we contribute to the rising CO2 levels and power consumption. Good news, though; apparently we do already care about it.After his earlier report in 2008, on August 1st, 2011, a follow up report was presented by Jonathan Koomey, a consulting professor at Stanford University. 
In his latest report , Koomey states:
“In summary, the rapid rates of growth in data-center electricity use that prevailed from 2000 to 2005 slowed significantly from 2005 to 2010, yielding total electricity use by data-centers in 2010 of about 1.3% of all electricity use for the world, and 2% of all electricity use for the US.”
Still, that is a lot of power and since we can expect a growth in the amount of data-center space, we need to spend considerable time thinking about further lowering the CO2 footprint of data-centers.
A soon to be published white-paper by the Atos Scientific Community, takes an interesting view to the subject.
The authors claim that the two worlds of data-centers and of ‘Control and Command’ have lived up to now in relatively separate spaces, although:
“… the data-center can be seen as an industrial equipment with processes like electricity management, temperature control, humidity control, physical security, and finally the management of IT equipment themselves…”
After a short description of technology that is deployed in data-centers, it is concluded that:
“…computers kept in the room are not the dumb heaters that the physics rules would describe. They have their own operational rules and constraints, acting at a logical level rather than a physical one, and providing software solutions to manage that logical level. A communication channel between the computers or blades and the Control and Command could be mutually beneficial.”
This introduces a new way to look at datacenters, using end-to-end monitoring to manage the facility as a whole, not as a collection of separate components. The fact that all components interact and should be managed as such opens new ways to bring power consumption under control.
A better future is possible, but a lot of work still needs to be done.
Tweet
Paul Albada Jelgersma
Paul has over 24 years of experience in running IT and business programs; including managing large teams of IT and other professionals. Within Atos, he and his teams have developed and managed all of the Atos standardized outsourcing services in the Netherlands, including costing, pricing and a variety of go-to market programs – many of these solutions are now part of the global Atos portfolio. Paul managed the solution pre-sales and portfolio teams and supported client sales-executives in building customer offerings. Paul is a founding member and track leader in the Atos Scientific Community for Cloud Services, he is supporting strategic sales, customer CEO’s and board room strategy decisions. In his day job, he focusses on the strategic partnership between Siemens and Atos, creating business opportunities in Cloud Computing in general and managing the overall innovation process. Paul specializes in Business Development, Portfolio Management, IT Service Innovation, Information and Infrastructure Architecture, Project Management, Cloud Computing, Outsourcing Services & Transformation projects. Paul likes to work with Virtual Teams in the new way of work. He dislikes email as a chat and document-management tool. He occasionally writes articles and publishes at his own blog. Paul is married and has 2 children. He lives near Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He likes to travel. In 2012 he did a tour in China. Many more locations are on his bucket-list.
I am learning about Data Center !!!.
I believe that we should use green energy for datacenter to reduce CO2.
Option could be:
1.Windmill – The setting up Windmill option can be explored in INDIA.
2.Solar Plant – Go where SUN is available more during the day which again can be explored in INDIA (Gujarat).
Sourcing clean energy is certainly part of Atos’ strategy where it is economoically viable. However, to do so it currently has to be generated on an industrial scale which means it falls to electricity providers and even governments to invest in the necessary infrastructure.
BTW, This is what Atos is doing in the short term:
“As part of a company-wide Green initiative, Atos has measured the total carbon footprint of its data centers, which amounted to a total of 117,000 tons of CO2 in 2009, representing 53 percent of the whole company’s CO2 emissions. This was followed by an engagement with The Carbon Neutral Company that helped to compensate for these carbon emissions via investment in a windmill turbine project in the Thar Desert, India.”
So, when you happen to come across some windmills in India, think about the future of datacenters – which I think is kind of cool.
I am happy to announce that the White Paper mentioned by Paul, “Command and Control for Data Center”, writen by Ana Juan Ferrer, Mathieu Peyral, Mick Symonds and myself, is now available on our public web site at:
http://atos.net/en-us/about_us/insights-and-innovation/thought-leadership/bin/wp-command-and-control-for-data-centers.htm
Data Centers are more than ever at the cornerstone of IT since the advent of cloud implies a kind of return to centralization where many services tend to be issued from large Data Centres of cloud providers. Enjoy your reading!
Nice Blog item, Paul!
My 2 cts; Data centers in space. Now there’s something to explore! Lower electricity costs, fewer emissions, less interference, better access, less impact on the planet ..
Frankly I do not understand why Europe spends money on own GPS system (Galileo) and, on the other hand, doesn’t sponsor this initiative …
More information : http://server-sky.com/212acres