Google Reveal their 99.9% Staggeringly Efficient Web Servers
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Stumble ThisAccording to CNet, these are efficiency levels that the EPA doesn't envision as practical until at least 2011.
After years of secrecy (maybe because they thought no one was interested), Google held its "Data Center Efficiency Summit" yesterday, where the company showed off one of its DCs and custom web servers -- all in a bid to evangelize for energy efficiency. The green angle means that everything has been planned for optimum power use, from the 1AAA shipping containers (sporting over a thousand servers each) that make up the core of its operations, to the servers themselves -- each containing its own 12-volt UPS. This design is said to boast a staggering 99.9 percent energy efficiency, as opposed to a standard centralized UPS setup which at best would only score 95 percent. (Via Engadget)
Further reading: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10209580-92.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
After years of secrecy (maybe because they thought no one was interested), Google held its "Data Center Efficiency Summit" yesterday, where the company showed off one of its DCs and custom web servers -- all in a bid to evangelize for energy efficiency. The green angle means that everything has been planned for optimum power use, from the 1AAA shipping containers (sporting over a thousand servers each) that make up the core of its operations, to the servers themselves -- each containing its own 12-volt UPS. This design is said to boast a staggering 99.9 percent energy efficiency, as opposed to a standard centralized UPS setup which at best would only score 95 percent. (Via Engadget)
Further reading: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10209580-92.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Of course the server isn't 99.9% efficient. It used almost standard SMPS that puts out +12V. Hello??? How efficient do you think those are.
The 99% efficient comment is talking ONLY about the mini-UPS on every rack.
Meaning, they have a freaking 12V battery on every motherboard. Since the Motherboards only use +12V.. (they removed all the custom voltages and +5V) DUH, of course it's pretty efficient. It's a 12V battery providing UPS with no need to provide AC (which would go through the SMPS for even more losses)
In the very same article there is a LARGE PICTURE that says the PUE is 1.2??!!
That means the server uses 120 Watts to power 100 Watts of servers.
Please read the article and change this BULLSHIT title lies
Of course the server isn't 99.9% efficient. It used almost standard SMPS that puts out +12V. Hello??? How efficient do you think those are.
The 99% efficient comment is talking ONLY about the mini-UPS on every rack.
Meaning, they have a freaking 12V battery on every motherboard. Since the Motherboards only use +12V.. (they removed all the custom voltages and +5V) DUH, of course it's pretty efficient. It's a 12V battery providing UPS with no need to provide AC (which would go through the SMPS for even more losses)
In the very same article there is a LARGE PICTURE that says the PUE is 1.2??!!
That means the server uses 120 Watts to power 100 Watts of servers.
I don't know what the hell any of that means but...OH SNAP IN YO' INEFFICIENT SERVER SUBMITTIN' FACE, SON!
But now that I've wised up - sorry, I'm keeping my video and for now I'm also keeping my (admittedly sensationalist) title (but that's because it's exactly what Engadget reported, and I can't think of a short enough alternative that'd include the UPS but I'm open to suggestions).
Why? Simply because UPS is an integral part of a server. Sure, it's not the server as a whole that 'boasts 99.9 percent efficiency', just a component of it, and yeah, at first the title might imply their PUE is ~1.01, but the video description sorts it out. And besides, from what I read some of their PUEs (as low as 1.12) are quite phenomenal as well. If you suggest a more accurate, appropriate title, I'll gladly change it, though
P.S. All in all, thanks for your comment; honestly, it's always good to have someone that can provide additional, accurate info/take on what's being sifted.
Actualy it is still interesting
Yeah, sure. And my spare tire pressure is a critical statistic I brag about my hotrod.
Duh, the UPS has nothing to do with server operation nor power efficiency. Look at the spare tire on that Posche!!!! Wow, that's hot.
"because UPS is an integral part of a server."
Yeah, sure. And my spare tire pressure is a critical statistic I brag about my hotrod.
Duh, the UPS has nothing to do with server operation nor power efficiency. Look at the spare tire on that Posche!!!! Wow, that's hot.
When you get a flat tire on your "Posche", it only inconveniences you (and your passengers, if any). I'd say that's a maximum of 4 people being inconvenienced, maybe 6 if you have one of those silly "Posche" SUVs.
Now, take a look at google - a single data center has capacity for 45,000 servers, and each server probably handles 10s to 100s of simultaneous requests (being conservative). Now lets say the data center loses power, without the UPS, every request is lost.
30 seconds later the generators kick in, all the machines reboot in a few minutes, and facility is back online, but in the meantime you've just inconvenienced a million people. Not really good for PR....
So for a business like Google, a UPS IS an integral part of a server.
As far as efficiency - take a 10 megawatt data center, assume you have a central UPS (for reasons mentioned above) that is 95% efficient. That means you lose 500kW of power in the form of heat. If you replace that UPS system (as a whole) with one that is 99.9% efficient, you lose only 10kW of power to heat.
To put this in perspective, the average household in America consumes about 14,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy.
That's an average of 1.6kW per hour. So by going from 95% eff to 99.9% eff UPS system, google saved 306 households worth of electricity.
The main reason for the effeciency gain is that you aren't going AC-AC-DC-AC-AC-DC, like a traditional server room, but rather AC-AC-AC-DC.
(AC = alternating current, like power lines ; DC = direct current, like batteries; hyphen represents a conversion, none of which are 100% efficient)