DC Power Services for Data Centers
ABB Advocates for Moving to DC Power Services for Data Centers
Power and automation technology company, ABB, is continuing to invest in DC-based power services for data centers as a way to simplify power distribution systems in data centers. ABB is now partnering with IO on the development of a new data center module based on direct current (DC) power.
Direct Current Power and Its Use in Power Services for Data Centers
Those who advocate of DC-based power distribution for power services for data centers say it offers great energy efficiency, citing the loss of power through multiple AC/DC conversions that are required to charge UPS batteries. Other data center and IT professionals still argue that high-voltage AC (alternating current) systems that are properly configured offer similar advantages to DC power distribution.
A DC-powered modular data center can offer the ability to commit to use DC power in a multi-phase planned expansion. Additionally, the use of DC power services for data centers can provide an easier entry point for end users that are interested in utilizing DC power, but aren’t ready, or can’t afford, to retrofit an entire existing site on a large scale.
“The data center has always been DC powered; every device in the data center uses DC power inside,” said George Slessman, CEO of IO. “By leveraging the intelligent control of IO OS and IO’s modular data center platform, we can now deliver the entire data center from the source on DC power, while providing flexibility to deliver AC power where and when needed.”
Many believe DC power services for data centers is the future of IT power. Typical data center power delivery systems typically use AC power, which is then distributed to the facility, often in a stepped-down process for use in servers, rack systems, and other equipment housed within the data center.
One critical part of every server room or data center is the UPS (uninterruptible power supply). The utilization of this equipment involves converting AC power back to DC for energy storage. The DC power is then converted back to AC for distribution to power distribution units (PDUs) for final distribution to the equipment housed within the data center or server room. As all this power switches back and forth from DC to AC and back to DC proves the inefficiencies associated with the current power setup found in most data centers and server rooms. Ultimately, there can be up to six or more power conversion stages between facility power entry and the microprocessor or other data processing circuit, according to research by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The inefficiencies associated with all the switching back and forth from DC power to AC power is exactly why some are advocating for the change to all DC power utilization within a data center or server room. For every watt of power utilized to process data, about 0.9W is required to support the power conversion to process that data.
