CHAPTER 4: BROAD THEMES

There are some broad concepts that can guide efforts to improve power efficiency in the data center for both IT equipment and facilities infrastructure.

Maximize utilization

Generally speaking, IT hardware and facilities equipment make more efficient use of electricity the closer they operate to their rated loads. For example, a server running at only 10% will be less efficient than one running at 90%. Likewise, a chiller running at 95% is better than one running at 40% of rated capacity. As a result, all things being equal, efforts to improve utilization of a given asset will result in improved power efficiency.

Newer tends to be more efficient

In general, newer hardware tends to be more efficient than older equipment. ...

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