Managing Energy Efficiency in Data Centres
Data centres are essential for running machines and keeping them cool, but they consume vast amounts of electricity. According to the International Energy Agency, data storage and transmission are estimated to take up 1% of the world's electricity. Despite the increase in the number of internet users and global internet traffic, this percentage has remained unchanged since 2010. While colocation centres make up the majority of data centres, hyperscale data centres owned by tech companies are in the spotlight.
Data centre construction is now geared towards modularity, with Huawei's FusionPower6000 3.0, which provides power supply and distribution solutions, leading the way. This fully modular solution shortens construction time and improves O&M efficiency, reducing the physical footprint by over 30%. Additionally, power link efficiency reaches 95.5% to supply power in an environmentally-friendly way.
Hyperscale data centres are much larger and more efficient than enterprise data centres, with economies of scale making them more energy-efficient. There are well over seven million data centres worldwide, with the US owning over 2,670. However, it is challenging to estimate how much electricity data centres consume as data centres can range from a cloud hyper scaler of 50MW to a small server room of 50kW. Climate Change Agreement for Data Centres 4th Period estimates that data centres’ energy consumption in the UK was 3.8TWh, or around 1% of the country's total electricity consumption.
In conclusion, data centres’ energy consumption is vast, and there is an increasing demand for energy-efficient solutions. Modular and mobile data centres, including Huawei's FusionPower6000 3.0, offer a promising solution that can provide flexibility and scalability, reduce construction time, improve efficiency and maintenance, and reduce the physical footprint while supplying power in an environmentally-friendly way. As data centres’ energy consumption continues to increase, it is essential to find innovative solutions to power them efficiently and sustainably.
