Improving data-center efficiency for a Smarter Planet

Abstract

In 2009, IBM launched its Smarter Planet™ initiative, which is based on the paradigm that virtually any physical object, process, or system can be instrumented, interconnected, and infused with intelligence. Because of the increased demand for information technology (IT) to facilitate Smarter Planet solutions, physical data centers have become interconnected, instrumented, and intelligent (i.e., adaptable, scalable, energy efficient, and cost effective). “Green data centers,” which are discussed in this paper, are those that make use of facilities and IT integration, resulting in lower energy costs, reduced carbon footprint, and reduced demand for power, space, and cooling resources. This paper reviews energy-efficiency strategies that are being incorporated in eight million square feet of data-center space that IBM operates in support of its customers. These strategies include both a dynamic infrastructure IT initiative and an energy-efficiencies pillar of the IBM New Enterprise Data Center initiative. For example, compared to nonmodular designs, implementation of a modular design to optimize expandable data centers will better match the IT demand with the data-center energy supply. This high-level overview describes the integration of these strategies to create a class of leading-edge IBM data centers and a plan for the optimization of existing data centers.