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HP introduces the Net-Zero Datacenter

Topic: Hewlett-Packard

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HP introduces the Net-Zero Datacenter

Summary: HP Labs research into the Net-Zero Energy Datacenter has implications for more efficient management and operation of existing datacenters.

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TOPICS: Hewlett-Packard
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While the general issue of building more energy efficient datacenters has resulted in an increase in energy efficiency in both power and cooling technologies, HP Labs is taking the approach that it is possible to build datacenters that have zero impact on the public utility grid. They believe that the right techniques and technologies in construction and operation can result in a datacenter that consumes net-zero energy from the grid over its lifetime, has a 2 year payback, and meets its service level agreements.

A simplified view of the approach is this; design your datacenter with onsite power generation using renewable sources and run it with software that manages power availability and matches it to the IT workload required. The goal of the HP Labs model is to make the required external power (i.e., that what you get from the utility grid) zero over the life of the datacenter. To do this requires maintaining a balanced energy budget, which, in a production environment, would be much more difficult than it sounds.

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The architecture being proposed (and utilized in HP Labs EcoPod testing) is broken into four modules:

1.       Prediction

2.       Planning

3.       Execution

4.       Verification and Reporting

Prediction uses analytics to predict the availability of power and pending IT workload, planning handles the scheduling of workloads based on resource availability, with the goal of matching the workload to the power availability, execution handles the real-time management of power matched to IT workload, and verification and reporting  works to identify mismatches in the planning and execution, allowing the resources and IT requirements to be more carefully aligned to meet the power consumption goals while still meeting the IT needs.

HP Labs has been testing this concept using a demonstration setup in Palo Alto, CA. The demonstrator uses a photovoltaic array to provide on-site power and open air cooling to provide free-air cooling capacity. The pod is connected to the grid for power when the need exceeds the capabilities of the PV array and has mechanical chillier capability for enhanced cooling, as well.

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The PV array gives the prediction and IT load management software a serious test, as the amount of power delivered is variable, based on the amount of sunlight that the array sees. This variability gets HP Labs the opportunity to more clearly refine their prediction and workload management algorithms, as it makes for a much more restricted environment than a bio-gas plant, for example, which would deliver a standardized level of power.

It also highlights the "do nothing" and do nothing well" approach that is part of this process, as the ability to dynamically provision servers and applications and simply turn off servers means that they can focus on a goal of high-levels of server utilization (upwards of 90%) rather than the common datacenter occurrence of large numbers of servers running at around 30% capacity.

The net-zero datacenter approach is a ground up implementation of datacenter construction, operation, and best-practices. The HP labs demonstrator, is just that; a demonstration of the capabilities that could be found in such an environment, and not a production datacenter implementation. But the concepts being developed for the net-zero approach, especially in operations management of applications and systems, would likely be backwardly compatible with existing datacenters. It will be interesting to see what HP does with this technology.

Full slide presentation from HP

HP Labs Sustainable Ecosystems Research Group

Topic: Hewlett-Packard

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About David Chernicoff

With more than 20 years of published writings about tech, as well as industry stints as everything from a database developer to CTO, David Chernicoff has earned the term "veteran" in the technology world.

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3 comments
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  • The Net-Zero Datacenter?

    It's a free data center, but you have to install advertisement apps on all your terminals.

    (I hope someone gets the reference. :D)
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    olePigeon
    Reply Vote
  • Won't be able to deliver

    Now that Meg is chasing off all of the data center management experts from the former EDS, will monkeys run this for HP?
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    Guilden_NL
    Reply Vote
  • HP introduces the Net-Zero Datacenter

    my classmate's sister-in-law makes $84 hourly on the laptop. She has been fired for 7 months but last month her income was $9078 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Go to this site N u t t y R i c h dot c??m
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    ArmandoWhite
    Reply Vote
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