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Running out of power is a constant
concern for the operators of
data centers and similar IT and
communications infrastructure. The
fight for footprint optimization while
boosting processing and storage
capabilities is a never-ending battle.
However, the inefficiencies and
underutilization of current power
supply infrastructures that are
designed to meet peak demand can
now be avoided using a combination
of hardware and software to even
out supply loading and optimize the
available capacity. This intelligent
use of available power can be
realized with software tools that
profile usage and recognize priority
tasks. Utility power can then be
supplemented with battery storage
to supply peak demand using power
stored during low utilization periods.
Similarly, low-priority workloads can
be assigned to server racks that
are only powered when there is
sufficient supply capacity. In this
way the system can respond to peak
demand while managing other tasks
to spread the power load.
In much the same way that Software
Defined Data Centers allow self-
serviced users to deploy services and
workloads in seconds, this approach
to Software Defined Power® unlocks
the underutilized power capacity
available within existing systems.
This allows a data center’s server
processing and storage capacity to
expand without increasing power
supply capacity and achieves
considerable capital expenditure
savings by not overprovisioning
power. Furthermore, the use of
battery storage to provide peak
shaving and load leveling can also
enable UPS functionality within a
data center or server rack to protect
it from power outage.
Understanding the data
center ‘power challenge’
The demand for Cloud data services
continues apace as businesses and
individual consumers become ever
more reliant on remotely stored
data that can be accessed over the
Internet from almost anywhere. In
addition, Cisco has estimated that
the emergence of the Internet of
Things will result in some 50 billion
“things” connected to the Internet
by 2020 as a myriad of sensors
and controls enable smart homes,
offices, factories, etc. Combined
with more established applications,
this is forecast to require a daily
network capacity in excess of a
zettabyte (1021 bytes) as early as
2018.
Servicing this demand and scaling
up the capacity of networks and data
centers is inevitably challenging,
especially as customer requirements
can turn on rapidly. While the IT
Solving Power Capacity Challenges with
Software Defined Power
Mark Adams, CUI Inc.
38 l New-Tech Magazine Europe