Energy-aware coordinated operation strategy of geographically distributed data centers

Abstract

As digital technology continues to advance rapidly, the substantial operational electricity costs associated with the extensive deployment of globally distributed internet data centers have become a significant concern. Addressing this challenging issue is crucial for the future expansion of internet data centers. In this paper, a coordinated strategy is proposed that leverages the spatial–temporal flexibility of internet data centers and their interaction with the power system. Firstly, an energy-aware internet data center loading model is introduced that incorporates multiple coupled scheduling methods to maximize the utilization of internet data centers' flexibility potential. Secondly, the proposed internet data centers loading model is integrated into a coordinated optimization model aimed at achieving higher profits through cost reduction in response to varying electricity prices across multiple regions. To facilitate the coordinated operation of geo-graphically internet data centers, an incentive profit-sharing mechanism based on Nash Bargaining theory is designed to fairly distribute coordination profits based on the contribution ratio of each data center in coordination. Through comprehensive case studies utilizing real-world datasets, the results demonstrate that the internet data center loading model, considering multiple coupled scheduling methods, can enhance internet data centers’ flexibility potential, resulting in a significant 11.73% reduction in total cost, with the coupling relationship accounting for 5.05% of this reduction. Furthermore, the proposed profit-sharing mechanism effectively fosters coordination and enthusiasm among geographically distributed internet data centers.