New-Tech Europe Magazine | July 2016 | Digital edition

Energy-Efficiency is Key to Cloud Services for the Internet of Everything

Mark Adams, AMP Group

Embracing data services and the burgeoning requirements of the Internet of Things (IoT), the Internet of Everything (IoE), as it isnowbeing referred to, is adding considerably to the pressure being applied to data communication networks and the storage capabilities of data centers. With the inevitable growth in this infrastructure that this rising demand is driving, the energy efficiency of these various Cloud services is inevitably and deservedly coming under increased scrutiny. Any measure that realizes valuable energy savings, including efficiency improvements in the supply of power to the many, many servers in these data centers, will not only help operators keep costs down but will also benefit the environment. Collaboration traditional

between leading companies in the power space, with each bringing to bear their own unique experiences, is one initiative that is providing a way forward. Introduction: An Imminent Explosion of Data Retail operations already generate significant volumes of data - according to Cisco, a large store may collect 10GB of data every hour and transmit 1GB of that to a data center. Industrial operations can generate vastly higher levels of data, for example, automated manufacturing plants can generate 1TB per hour while a large mining operation can easily exceed 100TB per hour. With the addition of connected “Things”, such as sensors and controls enabling infrastructure management and security applications in commercial and residential properties, a veritable

explosion of data is imminent. Capturing all this data continuously is the easy part. Transforming it into useful information is what really counts and is where Cloud services are key. Data centers are at the heart of Cloud services and while their processing and storage capabilities continue to benefit from improvements in technology, it is their energy consumption that has increasingly become a matter of public concern. Over the typical three-year life of a server, the cost of powering it can exceed its purchase price. On top of this is the energy cost for running the cooling systems needed to maintain safe operating temperatures for all the electronic equipment. This is why there is now a major industry trend to siting new data centers in cooler climates, even undersea, and also close to plentiful sources of renewable energy such as hydroelectric power plants.

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