HP has introduced a new way for clients to cut capital investment requirements for the design and build of data centers in half while significantly decreasing their carbon footprint.(1) The patent-pending HP Flexible Data Center (HP Flexible DC) offers a standardized, modular approach to designing and building data centers that allows clients to replace traditional data center designs with a flexible solution that can be expanded as needed while conserving resources.

“The pressure to save on capital and operating expenditures is one of the most critical issues facing enterprises today,” said David J. Cappuccio, vice president and chief of research, Gartner. “When building new data centers, clients need to consider options that support business growth, while also saving time and costs.”

“Financial institutions create an enormous volume of data, which means they need to be able to quickly add capacity to their data center without disrupting business,” Bob Cashner, senior vice president, Corporate Properties, Wells Fargo. “HP Flexible DC is a promising new approach to the way organizations can meet computing demands efficiently while addressing capital-intensive data center costs.”

HP Flexible DC “butterfly” design

HP Flexible DC is based on a “butterfly” design featuring four prefabricated quadrants, or modules, that stem off a central administrative section. The offering uses industrial components to improve cost efficiencies as well as a streamlined building process with a variety of options for power and cooling distribution.

HP Critical Facilities Services – which provides consulting and design engineering and architecture services – collaborates with clients to evaluate their needs and to help with the planning and implementation of all aspects of their data center infrastructures.

“Clients, such as financial service providers, government entities, and cloud and colocation hosts, will find the scalable and modular nature of HP Flexible DC a compelling option,” said Kfir Godrich, chief technology officer, Technology Services, HP. “HP can help clients innovate the way they build and operate a greenfield data center for greater savings over its life span.”

Features of HP Flexible DC include:

• Prefabricated, standardized components allow clients to shorten the time it takes to build and deploy a data center, resulting in lower capital costs and faster time to market.
• The modular design extends clients’ ability to increase scalable capacity while retaining specified levels of reliability and redundancy.
• Specific configurations optimize the use of power and cooling resources to lower energy and water use, enabling clients to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a facility’s carbon footprint.
• Air-cooled, rather than water-cooled, mechanical systems save clients power and potentially millions of gallons of water annually.