By 2010, Web servers around the globe will have additional electrical demands equal to more than 10 new 1,000 megawatt power plants, but that number can be halved by managerial efficiencies. Thats the conclusion of a recent study from chipmaker AMD on data centers and their projected power needs.
The study found that at the same time the rest of the world gobbles up more power, the needs of data centers in the U.S. will decline as a percentage of the total. The study projected that the U.S. share of total world server electrical use will decrease from the 40 percent it held in 2000 to about one-third in 2010.
INCREASE IN ASIA/PACIFIC
The decline is due largely to the substantial increase in power needs in the Asia/Pacific region, which will go from 10 percent to 16 percent of the world total. But the percentage is only part of the story.
The absolute energy consumption for that region will double in the five year period of 2005-2010, which by itself means two new 1,000 megawatt power plants. Electrical use in that region is growing at a rate of 23 percent annually, compared to the world rate of 16 percent.
But the Western world still takes the lions share. Servers in the U.S. and Europe account for about two-thirds of the worlds total, with Japan, Asia/Pacific and the rest of the planet each taking between 10 percent and 15 percent.
The study was authored by Jonathan Koomey, a scientist at AMD and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, and was based on data from industry analyst firm IDC. The purpose was to examine data center energy trends to "bridge the gap between knowledge and action," said Bruce Shaw, director of Server and Workstation Marketing at AMD, in a statement.
MANAGEMENT CAN CUT NEEDS
A recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Shaw noted, projected that American data center energy consumption could be cut as much as 20 percent within five years with only "relatively minor efforts" by managers. These steps include turning on power management, turning off unused servers, and consolidating resources.
These changes could have a major impact on the need for new power plants. The study indicates that if the EPAs 20 percent savings were applied worldwide, the need for 10 new power plants could be reduced to five. According to AMD, 40 percent of the worlds electricity is generated by coal, which is a major contributor to global pollution.
The study is part of a formal commitment from AMD to global climate protection, which was approved by top executives in 2001 and renewed in 2006. In a statement accompanying the renewal, AMD said that it "recognizes our responsibility as a global citizen" to reduce impacts on the environment and to improve "energy efficient technology."
The chipmaker, like archrival Intel and others, is regularly promoting the energy efficiency of its products, such as its Barcelona server processor.
