State of the Art and Research Needs In Data Center Efficiency

Mark A. Monroe (President at Energetic Consulting)

Abstract

Even though there has been a global focus on data center energy efficiency for 3-4 years, surveys taken in the end of 2009 show the average large company data center draws more than 2 watts of power from the utility in order to deliver 1 watt to the Information Technology (IT) equipment. There are a number of strategies that could help with the efficiency of the data center, but little is known about the potential impact of ideas like high inlet temperature, liquid cooling, and data center productivity. This talk will discuss the state of the art in data center efficiency and present some ideas for future research.

Short Bio

Mark Monroe is an expert in Fortune 200-level corporate sustainability, data center efficiency, and Information Technology (IT). Mark worked for Sun Microsystems for 16 years, with responsibility for internal, customer, and industry thought leadership on sustainability and energy efficiency topics. His 28 years in the IT industry have included experience in data center design and operations, application and system design, service level management, process design and analysis, professional services, sales, government and commercial program management, and outsourcing management. Prior to Sun, Mark worked at Data General, Unisys, and StorageTek.
Mark served as a founding director on the board of The Green Grid, an IT industry consortium focused on data center efficiency. He is also on the board of directors for the Center for ReSource Conservation in Boulder, CO. He works on sustainability advisory boards with the University of Colorado and local Colorado governments, and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Master Black Belt.