Reduce energy consumption for the server

The increase in energy costs to operate computer rooms is forcing high-tech competitors to work together to take measures to overcome this problem. That is AMD, the company that made initial efforts to launch a number of major name servers such as HP, IBM, Sun and Dell to join the Green Grid organization.

To date, this information technology association has 11 members with software giant Microsoft and Intel are newly added members.

The energy consumption problem for data centers urged not only computer industrialists to collaborate, but also the White House's concern. In December 2006, Andy Karsner, assistant secretary of the Energy Commission (USA), opened a round of discussions on this topic in Silicon Valley and scheduled a meeting with executives from AMD and Dell. This week at their office in the Austin, Texas area.

The processing power of the server system is increasing, but also consumes a huge amount of energy

Electricity consumption by servers around the world, along with the devices that depend on it, doubled between 2000 and 2005, estimated by technology adviser and professor Jonathan. Koomey of Stanford University, in a survey sponsored by AMD has just been released. He found that the total value of annual electricity bills consumed increased to $ 7.3 billion during this period.

One of Green Grid's main goals is to achieve more accurate data for energy efficiency standards for computer rooms. The lack of a standard gauge of operational computing poses a major obstacle to the roadmap to increase energy efficiency for auxiliary computers and equipment.

More than a decade ago, hardware device manufacturers stopped offering MIPS standards, evaluating millions of instructions to be executed in a second, to assess the special jobs that computers have. Can handle it. That result makes it difficult for computer supervisors to compare the amount of work being done by computers with an increase in the payment value of electricity bills.

SPEC is a group of information technology industrialists launched to find a benchmark for evaluating new operational tests that are applied to the combination of energy consumption indicators. Intel executive Larry Gray, who participated in SPEC's effort, pointed out that servers have different sizes and combinations of memory and other peripherals allow them to handle each. Separate work, can be integrated into a standalone server. He said optimistically that a new standard for low-power server will be launched at the end of 2007.

Besides servers, another standard that is focused on improving efficiency is the ability to self-supply power, including devices that convert alternating current into direct current used. in computer. Technology experts say those devices can convert nearly 70% of the current voltage that is being used by computers.

Currently, Ecos Consulting has launched a program called 80 Plus which is responsible for certifying manufacturers to produce computers that increase energy saving capacity by up to 80% and are in progress. intend to divert interest in devices that supply power to the server. Meanwhile, ColdWatt announced that it will launch a line of servers that are rated to generate 45% less heat when operating compared to similar products on the market and at the same time reducing 30 % of total energy consumed by the machine.

Vu Anh Tu