It is an exciting time to be part of the data center industry: new technologies, changing customer demands, and a strategic place in the development of the next generation of communication, commerce, and security. As we move toward this new horizon there are several new thermal management technologies that promise to provide substantial reductions in energy usage and greater design flexibility with higher levels of IT equipment protection.
Over this past summer, members of my team of engineers toured 15 data centers that served everything from midsized businesses to Fortune 50 technology companies. In each case they were able to identify significant energy saving opportunities — up to 30% savings — by asking just a few general questions. Often, these opportunities could be realized with the implementation of a thermal management best practice. Below are the most common opportunities they came across.