Power Pack

摘要

Since energy costs can represent a data center's single largest expense, companies are packing more servers and computer equipment into a single space in an effort to maximize power productivity. Eighty-two percent of data center construction costs are related to mechanical and electrical infrastructure, says Mike Manos, director of data center services at Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft recently built a new 500,000-square-foot data center outside Chicago that will average 400 watts per square foot.rnThe Microsoft facility will be one of the utility's largest consumers of electricity, says Alicia Zatkowski of Commonwealth Edison. In the past three or four years ComEd has added more than 10 new data center facilities, and an additional 5 centers are seeking locations within their territory. "Data centers are challenging for utilities to serve due to the amount of power they are seeking, which typically is not immediately available, and the speed with which the sector moves," says Zatkowski.