Improving data centre power consumption and energy efficiency

A safe, efficient and dependable power supply and intelligent power distribution management are essential for data centre operations. No data centre could support its clients’ systems without electricity, and operations would swiftly come to a halt. Any interruption or fluctuation in electricity might also have catastrophic effects, including the loss of crucial data. As a result, electricity should be a primary concern when building and arranging the systems.

Data centre administrators meet complex demands

Data centre administrators confront increasingly complex demands, such as providing additional processing power while consuming less energy in a smaller space, keeping within budget constraints, and ensuring mission-critical dependability. These requirements frequently result in a culture of predictable change that does not compromise the ultimate product. But, unfortunately, it can strain certain existing data centres, rendering them unsustainable for various reasons.

Data centres require a substantial amount of energy to provide constant power supply with minimum disruptions. Facilities must also be kept at the appropriate temperature for the systems housed within them. Additional equipments such as humidifiers and monitors are also required for everyday operations of data centres.

Power management systems have improved in recent years to the point where they are versatile and easily adaptive to new requirements. They are also scalable in terms of modification and expansion, and they often have the lowest long-term cost of ownership.

Also, compared with traditional, large-scale data centre power solutions, which require segment-based construction, distributed bidding, and onsite installation and testing, a fully modular solution significantly shortens the construction time needed and improves O&M efficiency.

“Traditional construction methods involve multiple vendors and complicated engineering designs, which can take months to draw up, usually resulting in complex communications during construction and multiple interface standards once the job is done. This is far from conducive to efficient, convenient maintenance,” says Sanjay Kumar Sainani, global SVP and CTO of Huawei Digital Power.

“For instance, Huawei’s FusionPower6000 3.0, also known as PowerPod, which provides power supply and distribution solutions for large-scale data centres, is convergent and prefabricated in the factory, with AI-based management ensuring steady operations. The solution assists power supply and distribution systems to move towards fully digital Operations and Maintenance (O&M),” he adds.

Huawei Connect

As we prepare for a post-pandemic world, ICT technologies will play a fundamental role in developing an intelligent society and the future of digital economies. At the Huawei Connect 2021 held earlier this year, the company reaffirmed its commitment towards continuous innovation for faster digitalisation.

In his keynote speech, Huawei’s rotating chairman Eric Xu spoke about how helping industries adopt technologies is a critical aspect of the company’s mission to bring digital to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.

“Digital development relies on digital technology. For digital technology to stay relevant, we must continue to innovate and create value. Cloud, AI, and networks are three critical digital technologies,” he said at the time.

Read: The need to build low-carbon, energy-saving data centres in the Middle East