Kevin Bross is Intel Modular Systems Architect and an avid fisherman. "Forty-eight volt DC power is radically more efficient than AC," thought one day fishing. "And service providers were already running -48V DC in their central offices. So why not bring -48V DC to their data centers?" The idea might help by creating "fewer power conversions, safer voltages across the facility, more efficient fan deployments, and less overall heat." Kevin in collaboration with equipment manufacturers, low voltage blade server designers, and service providers have realized that compared to AC, -48V DC can cut power losses significantly. Considering that 50% of a data center's costs typically go to the HVAC system, and that data center servers themselves represent approximately 1.5% of the U.S.'s energy draw annually [EPA Aug. 2007 report], this approach alone could reduce consumption in the U.S. by between 0.1% and 0.5%. And that's just the beginning. More here http://innovate.intel.com/inspiring_innovations.html
Tags: energy efficiency data center kevin bross enterprise blade servers Xeon
