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OPINION
Making use
of analytics
By Zahl Limbuwala , Co-founder & CEO , Romonet
www . romonet . com
Why accurate data is critical for improving data centre performance and reduce environmental impact
With new technologies emerging every day and increasing appetite for mobile computing , internet of things and cloud computing , the data centre industry is thriving and the analysts estimate that the market will register double digit growth rates over the next few years . And as the data centre industry expands to accommodate the huge amounts of data we generate every day and our need to be constantly connected with our devices or peers , the energy consumption of these facilities is increasing exponentially .
The environmental impact In January 2016 researchers estimated that data centres were using about 416.2 terawatt hours per year with this amount expected to increase three times in the next decade . To put things into perspective , the UK consumes about 300 terawatt hours during an entire year .
Besides energy , data centres also require large quantities of water . A medium size data centre uses roughly as much water as about 100 acres of almond trees or three average-sized hospitals per year . Naturally , the environmental impact of the data centre industry on our planet is directly proportional to the amount of energy and water these facilities need in order to function and keep the world as we know it today spinning . As a result , an increasing number of organisations and governmental bodies are now scrutinising the sector and are trying to find potential solutions to decrease the data centre industry ’ s negative impact on the environment .
So , what can businesses and data centre operators do in order to decrease the environmental impact of these facilities but also increase efficiency and profitability ? Large tech companies and data centre operators have started to build facilities in colder climates , aiming to reduce the amount of energy and water necessary for running these facilities .
There ’ s also a growing interest in power generation on-site , reflecting a trend for reduced dependency on the power grid . However , because many data centres were built several decades ago , much of the equipment used is outdated and inefficient . As a result , many data centres are struggling to keep up with new technologies and customers ’ demands that are creating a significant challenge for data centre managers . The cooling systems are a particularly sore point and many voices advocate for upgrades and investments in new technologies that would decrease the energy and water quantities required by these systems . Consequently , in their quest for boosting energy efficiency and profitability , many data centre stakeholders have invested significant resources into equipment upgrades and restructuring .
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