Energy efficient data centre infrastructure—Development of a power loss model

The design of a complex power supply infrastructure and the satisfaction of the concentrated high energy demand is a constant challenge for data centre owners. Furthermore, economics of the operation and ideas of sustainability are getting more and more attention lately as well. Green data centres are designed to minimize the effect on the natural environment. One of the primary goals of such units is to decrease the energy needs both for the computing infrastructure and the supporting systems (e.g. thermal management), which can be achieved either by increasing the efficiency of processes or by integrating renewable energy sources.Present paper introduces results of an ongoing research and development cooperation between the Centre for Energy Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Persecutor Ltd., supported by the Hungarian Government’s “PIAC_13” programme. The project aims to develop a new, highly energy efficient data centre infrastructure, which is able to supply IT needs at a high-level, while minimizing power losses. Present paper focuses on decreasing power losses in the distribution and power conversion infrastructure. A power loss model, capable of supporting the optimal selection of different subsystems of the technological chain, is introduced and two case studies are shown to demonstrate the effect of different loss reduction options.