HP Announces Thermal Zone Map for Data Centres
HP Announces Thermal Zone Map for Data Centres
July 30th, 2007: Hewlett Packard (HP) has announced a first-of-its-kind thermal zone map for data centers.
Thermal Zone Mapping displays a three-dimensional model of exactly how much and where data center air conditioners are cooling. Used in conjunction with HP's Dynamic Smart Cooling (DSC), the technology enables air conditioning to be continuously manipulated to where and when it’s required.
The service will cost around USD$100,000 for the full assessment, so it’s by no means a cheap quick fix for smaller data centers. For larger scale centers however, the HP solution can provide long term cost benefits with environmental bonuses.
The increased abundance of server farms and data centres has prompted this issue into the spotlight. With endless racks of hot running servers becoming common place, the costs of cooling has become steep. Thermal Zone Mapping aims to address the major challenge of “driving energy efficiency to lower operational costs,” said John McCain, senior vice president, HP Services.
The move further enhances HP’s Green Data Center focus, capitalising on the latest concerns about global warming and being carbon conscious. There is stiff competition in the focus on being green with “HP, IBM and Sun involved in an arms race to prove that they are greener than the next guy” said Ian Brown, Senior Analyst at Ovum.