2011.12.19
NTT Comware's Energy Efficient and Heat Recycling Data Center (Demo Facility) Newly Opens
-- Full outdoor air conditioning for further cost-saving and Green IT promotion --
NTT Comware Corporation (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Michio Sugimoto; below, NTT Comware) started a demonstration test of Energy Efficient and Heat Recycling Data Center in November 2011. The building is significantly cost effective in construction and operation. The PUE achieved is 1.1 or less (*1) currently.
(1) Background
For a broader use of cloud computing as well as for corporate sustainability, a data center-type of environment now allows enterprises to get their applications up and running and its importance become increasing as social infrastructure. Under the circumstances, further cost reduction in ICT infrastructure and energy saving is in an immediate need for businesses. NTT Comware provides data center services with its SmartCloud Data Center with a high-grade (carrier-grade) disaster-proof performance, security/operation and Green IT concept, and achieved 1.3 for PUE (*2) in 2009. The new challenge is to start Energy Efficient and Heat Recycling Data Center (demo facility) to achieve further cost saving and Green IT promotion.
(2) Outline of Energy Efficient and Heat Recycling Data Center (demo facility)
The facility is designed as PoD (Provisioning on Demand) to combine modules of the main facility, electricity, air conditioning units and ICT equipment. Its module-based design is flexible to add data centers as needed. The construction proved a significant cost reduction in refurbishment of the data center (by 45%, according to a comparison with the companyfs conventional model). The air conditioning system is for outdoor air circulation. Heat generated by ICT equipment is exhausted to the outside of the rooms. This system is effective to save costs for investment in facilities as well as to save power by 20% according to a comparison with the conventional model. As high temperature equipment is also applied to the ICT system in the data center, cooling systems are not required even in an environment with high outdoor temperature. Moreover, a new system with an AC-to-DC convertor minimizes its power losses. PUE is currently achieved as 1.1 or less (*3).
(3) Future Scenario
The demonstration test is scheduled for a year for the Energy Efficient and Heat Recycling Data Center. Given the results of the year-round test, we keep striving for the development of the services of SmartCloud, the cloud services for enterprises, reduction of ICT infrastructure costs and Green IT for data centers.
[Terminology]
* 1 PUE: Power Usage Effectiveness. A measure of how efficiently a computer data center uses its power, proposed by the Green Grid. PUE is the ratio of total amount of power used by a computer data center facility, the closer to 1 and the higher in efficiency. PUE=(The total power consumption in a data center/power consumption of computing equipment in the center)
* 2 PUE=1.3: achieved in Tokyo Data Center
* 3 Currently achieved: as measured in 1.5 months of the demo test.
* SmartCloud is the trademark of NTT COMWARE.
* The Green Grid is the trademark of the Green Grid Association in the United States and other countries.
* Names of corporations and products are either trademarks or registered trademarks of each corporation.
