Federal Government Initiatives to Reduce Data Center Energy

Federal Government Initiatives to Reduce Data Center Energy Use Sustainable Computing from the Desktop to the Datacenter Andrew Fanara United States Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Partnership Division ENERGY STAR® Product Specification Development 1

Broad Themes We Are Paying Attention to • Awareness of energy issues and concern for environment and climate change growing among individuals and business globally • Green economy on our door step -- but lacking a stable foundation • Energy demand associated with our growing digital economy becoming better understood • Opportunity for tech to improve the energy productivity of many economic sectors (transportation, manufacturing, products, buildings, lifestyles…) • US (and growing array of other governments) see efficiency, vs. . supply alone, as a key component national energy strategy • Datacenter efficiency a prime global opportunity 2

World Primary Fossil fuels account. Energy for 80% of. Demand world energy By Major Fuel for 83% of the demand will account increase in overall demand from 2004 -- 2030 From the World Energy Outlook 2006, International Energy Agency

Charting Energy Consumption: A Pattern of Growing Energy Demand 36000 U. S. E ne rgy C o ns um p tio n 1949 - 2004 A ll F ue ls (T B T U ) 32000 28000 24000 20000 16000 12000 In d u s t ria l = re d T ra n s p o rt a t io n = p u rp le R e s id e n t ia l = g re e n C o m m e rc ia l = b lu e 8000 4000 0 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2004 Energy Consumption = ~ 100 quads 2004 Energy Expenditures = ~ $910 billion 2000 2010

Commercial Sector Energy Consumption (quadrillion Btu) Source: February 2007 Monthly Energy Review, EIA

Electric Power Sector Energy Use (quadrillion Btu) Source: February 2007 Monthly Energy Review, EIA

Rising Utility Rates 2005 Average by Region

The Energy Straightjacket • Deliverability limitations in all markets for all fuels • Oil market restrained by refining capacity • Coal market restrained by rail & mining capacity • Electricity constrained by available fuel transmission, rising construction cost – high demand taxes grid infrastructure • Renewables limited by equipment 8

Energy Efficiency: Still the Cheapest Resource Levelized Cost of Electricity by Source 10. 00 IGCC w/o CCS Cents per KWh 9. 0 Wind @ 29% CF 8. 0 7. 0 NGCC @ $6 gas Biomass 6. 0 5. 0 Pulverized Coal w/o CCS 4. 0 Nuclear Energy Efficiency 3. 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 Carbon price: Dollars per ton 9

Contributing Factors in CO 2 Reductions 2004 -2030 Source: Noé van Hulst, IEA

Energy-Efficient Investments Could be an Even Bigger Business • ACEEE estimates that, with additional policies and incentives, the rate of decline in energy intensity could grow from a projected rate of 1. 8% to 2. 5% per annum through 2030. • If we were to achieve the higher rate of improvement in intensity, annual investments in energy-efficiency technologies could double to $400+ billion or more annually. • Increased efficiency would reduce projected energy consumption by ~30% at an average payback of ~5 years (perhaps less). » Source: ACEEE, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy

• Increased media attention reflects “resurgence in commitment to environmentalism ”

Climate Concerns Gaining Momentum NY Times, February 6, 2007 BBC News, October 31, 2006 CNN, April 29, 2007

What are the Risk to Business? • Energy Supply, Security & Climate Change Ø Physical risk to property from extreme weather Ø Financial risk to the health and competitiveness of firms Ø Reputational risk due to poor public and investor community perception • There is a growing demand for energy management strategies designed to mitigate that will provide a competitive advantage 14

Where do INFORMATION FACTORIES Fit In? • Data centers are energy intensive facilities – Server racks now designed to carry 25 k. W load – Surging demand for data storage – Typical facility ~ 1 MW, can be > 20 MW – Nationally 1. 5% of US Electricity consumption in 2006 • Could double in next 5 years • Critical national and global infrastructure – Few options to go “off the grid” or diversify supply – Good candidates for efficiency investments by utilities to reduce peak loads • DC operators want help with their energy challenges! 15

Where do INFORMATION FACTORIES Fit In? • Significant data center building boom, – Power and cooling constraints in existing facilities – Growing demand for compute cycles – Growing computing performance – Commoditized hardware – Declining cost of computing 16

Where Data Center Power Goes Source: EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc. , New York Other than a common power source they are not connected. 17

Power, Space & Cooling • Over the next five years, power failures and limits on power availability will halt data center operations at more than 90% of all companies (AFCOM Data Center Institute’s Five Bold Predictions, 2006) • By 2008, 50% of current data centers will have insufficient power and cooling capacity to meet the demands of high-density equipment (Gartner press release, 2006) • Survey of 100 data center operators: 40% reported running out of space, power, cooling capacity without sufficient notice (Aperture Research Institute) 18

The Rising Cost of Ownership • From 2000 – 2006, computing performance increased 25 x but energy efficiency only 8 x – Amount of power consumed per $1, 000 of server spending has increased 4 x • Cost of electricity and supporting infrastructure now surpasses capital cost of IT equipment • Perverse incentives -- IT and facilities costs separate Source: The Uptime Institute, 2007 19

Industry Action: Climate Savers • Global non-profit consortium of industry, business, universities, conservation groups, governments, consumers • Goals: – Accelerate production/distribution of energy efficient computers – Increase use of power management tools • Desired Results: – Reduce the computing industry’s carbon footprint – Lower TCO for computer users – Make high efficiency the norm for the industry • Web site: www. climatesaverscomputing. org. Source: Bill Weihl, Google, Digital Power Forum 2007

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Source: Bill Weihl, Google, Digital Power Forum 2007

Industry Action: Green Grid • Global consortium dedicated to developing and promoting energy efficiency for data centers by: • Defining meaningful, user-centric models and metrics • Developing standards, measurement methods, best practices and technologies to improve performance against the defined metrics • Promoting the adoption of energy efficient standards, processes, measurements and

Green Grid Initiatives • Create shared definitions, benchmarks and metrics to enable real-time measurement monitoring and control of data center efficiency and productivity • Create baseline 'state-of-the-industry' documentation including benchmark architectures and a repository of data center efficiency knowledge • Create a comprehensive technology roadmap for future data center design to maximize efficient and productive operations • Assess new and alternate data center

What’s the Government’s Role? • Federal agencies (EPA & DOE) can be catalyst – Stimulate competition on energy efficiency – Foster discussions between key stakeholders – Provide key recommendations (EPA Report to Congress) – Encourage development of standardized test procedures and metrics to measure energy consumption and make it more transparent • Promote initiatives globally – Canada, EU, UK, China, India, Australia are 24

Public Law 109 -431: EPA Report • Purpose: assess energy impacts on and from datacenters, identify energy efficiency opportunities, and recommend strategies to drive the market for efficiency • Goals: – Inform Congress & other policy makers of important market trends, forecasts, opportunities – Identify and recommend potential short and long term efficiency opportunities and match them with the right policies 25

EPA Report Findings Trends in Data Center Energy Use • Sector consumed about 61 billion KWh in 2006 – Equates to ~1. 5% total U. S. electricity consumption and ~$4. 5 billion – Federal sector: ~6 billion k. Wh and ~$450 million • Projected to increase to 100 billion k. Wh in 2011 – Equates to ~2. 5% of total U. S. electricity 26

Comparison of Projected Electricity Use All Scenarios 2007 - 2011 27

Electricity Use by End-Use 2000 to 2006 28

Report Findings cont. Identified Key Barriers to Energy Efficiency • Lack of efficiency definitions for equipment and data centers – Service output difficult to measure, varies among applications – Need for metrics and more data: How do we account for computing performance? • Split incentives – Disconnect between IT and facilities managers • Risk aversion 29

Report Recommendations • Standardized performance measurements for IT equipment and data centers – Development of benchmark/metric for data centers – ENERGY STAR label for servers, considering storage and network equipment • Leadership by federal government – Publicly report energy performance of datacenters – Conduct energy efficiency assessments in all datacenters in 2 -3 years – Architect of the Capital, implement server-related recommendations in Greening of the Capital report 30

Recommendations cont. • Private Sector Challenge – CEOs conduct DOE Save Energy Now energy efficiency assessments, implement measures, and report performance • Information on Best Practices – Raise awareness and reduce perceived risk of energy efficiency improvements in datacenter – Government partner with private industry: case studies, best practices • Research and Development – Develop technologies and practices for datacenter energy efficiency (e. g. , hardware, software, power conversion) 31

ENERGY STAR for Servers • Server energy demand drives DC power & cooling needs • Goal: Create protocol to measure server energy efficiency to allow fair competition • Technical specification would have several key elements: – Definitions of product categories eligible for ENERGY STAR – Test procedure to measure energy efficiency & computing performance – Energy efficiency performance levels • Tier 1 may include power supply efficiency and other 32

ENERGY STAR for Servers Power Supply Efficiency -- A Possible Tier 1 • Why higher efficiency for server power supplies? – Common hardware denominator – Lower HVAC costs >> 1 to 1. 5 k. Wh HVAC savings for every k. Wh saved at the plug – More computing space – increase computational density – Reduce CO 2 emissions [1 k. Wh ~ 1. 6 lbs of CO 2] • Test Procedure developed by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) – Testing and verifying power supply efficiency and reliability performance – Developing recommendations for 80 Plus program Source: Brian Fortenbery, EPRI, Digital Power Forum 2007 33

Data on Single Voltage Power Supplies for Servers Results of 30 different Single and Multiple Output Server PSUs tested at 230 VAC Source: Brian Fortenbery, EPRI, Digital Power Forum 2007 34

Observations on PS Data • Data shows a large spread of efficiencies at different load points • Efficiency drops off rapidly below 20% load, but many Server PS operate below 20% - especially in redundant configurations – 10 % test condition included in test procedure • Single Voltage server supplies generally have higher efficiency than multi-voltage PC supplies – Operates at higher voltage for increased efficiency – Eliminating less efficient 5 V and 3. 3 V buses improves the overall efficiency of the power supply for the same power rating 35

ENERGY STAR for Servers Other Possible Tier 1 Requirements • Power Management - What does this mean for servers? • Standardized labels for consumers to compare server capability/energy use – Similar to DOE labels on white goods • Standard Ethernet protocol for querying power consumption of server components • Adaptive speed Ethernet (similar to Version 4. 0 ENERGY STAR Computer Specification) Source: Brian Fortenbery, EPRI, Digital Power Forum 2007 36

ENERGY STAR for Servers Server Performance Benchmark – A Possible Tier 2 • January 2006 SPEC Power and Performance Committee began development of benchmark for evaluating energy efficiency of servers • Working prototype has been developed -final product by the end of 2007 • Could require reporting of SPEC score in Tier 1 to determine applicability to Tier 2 37

Next Steps for Servers • Draft framework discussion document distributed for stakeholder review – July 2007 • Current: – review of stakeholder comments on framework discussion document – gathering relevant information • October 31: ENERGY STAR stakeholder meeting to discuss Draft 1 specification requirements – Following the Uptime Institute 2007 Charette in Santa Fe, NM October 28 -30 www. uptimeinstitute. org/charette • Goal – Tier 1 specification finalized by early 38

Data Center Energy Plan Measure data center using developed / available metrics Implement changes in operations (eliminate comatose servers, virtualize and consolidate existing servers, enable available power management, implement other best practices) Alter procurement policies for new hardware to emphasize efficiency Remeasure regularly to determine savings 39

Data center energy efficiency assessment A simple standard to assess data center energy efficiency • Compares total power used by the data center to the power used by the technology • Provides a market comparison • Demonstrates range for opportunity improvement Objective Most energy efficient 1. 5 2. 0 Current 2. 5 3. 0 Least energy efficient 3. 5 (1) Standard supported by Green Grid, originally published by Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, 2003

Opportunities for Energy Savings • Government will encourage industry to look at all opportunities to improve energy productivity in best practices in DC design, operation and for equipment • Software will be looked at as both a driver of and a solution to increased energy consumption in the data center • With more energy transparency due to common metrics, markets can develop to foster fair competition 41

Power Mgnt. for Your Desktop • Get organizations to… – Primary: Activate power management features (will have numeric goals) – Secondary: Buy ENERGY STAR products – Think about the impact of IT/office equipment on global warming • Tie together the various ES IT savings opportunities (products & tools) into something larger and more useful to participants – Offer more ways to save energy & money than just CPM – Leverage corporate carbon reduction initiatives – Coordinate with Green Grid and Climate Savers to 42

Final Thoughts and Take Aways • More attention being paid to the implications of energy supply and demand than ever before • We are seeing the emergence of a more environmentally sensitive consumer class • Is government leading or following public sentiment? • Enterprise wide strategic energy management and planning a competitive must have for every organization • Voluntary and industry schemes (and claims) 43

Andrew Fanara fanara. andrew@epa. gov For more information: www. energystar. gov http: //www 1. eere. energy. gov/industry/saveen ergynow/ http: //hightech. lbl. gov/datacenters. html 44

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Energy Efficiency Gives More! Energy Service Demand Energy Supply 1970 Energy Usage • Since 1970, energy efficiency has met 77% of new energy service demands in the U. S, while new energy supplies have contributed only 23% of new energy service demands. 46

A Roadmap to Better Datacenter Mgnt. ? Diagnose Get the facts to understand your energy use and opportunities for improvement 4 3 2 1 Build Plan, build, and update energy efficient data centers Implement Manage & Implement Measure virtualized infrastructure and exploit innovative technologies Seize control with power management software 5 Cool Exploit liquid cooling solutions – inside and outside of the data center Market is primed for companies capable of integrating technology, services, and industry expertise to help manage and use energy in a more cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally-sustainable way

Cooling systems 35 Electrical and building systems 30 25 % of total data center electricity use 20 15 10 5 0 Chiller/ cooling tower Humidifier Computer room airconditioner Information technology Power Uninterruptible distribution power unit supply (UPS) Switch/ gen Lighting Power use Chart and data source: American Power Conversion Corporation white paper, Implementing Energy Efficient Data Centers, by Neil Rasmussen, 2006