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September 09, 2008
WSJ: Cutting Tech's Energy Bill
The Wall Street Journal's Bill Bulkeley reports in today's edition that "Power use in data centers -- the large, climate-controlled rooms that house a company's computer servers, storage devices and communications switches -- doubled from 2000 to 2006 and now accounts for about 1.5% of U.S. electricity consumption, according to the Environmental Protection Agency."
Bulkeley also reports that IBM, HP and others are finding opportunities and profits in helping companies improve their data centers' efficiency and energy use through better data center design, more energy efficient servers, virtualization and improved cooling. "IBM surprised Wall Street this year when it said its
new "Green Data-Center Services" business -- which redesigns customers'
data centers and sells energy-efficient products -- signed $300 million
in orders in the 2007 fourth quarter. IBM Chief Executive Samuel Palmisano recently told
analysts that IBM expects more than 70% of the world's biggest
companies 'will modify their data centers significantly in the next
five years' to deal with energy shortfalls and rising costs."
Bulkeley also cites that "Hartford Financial Services Group, a Connecticut-based insurer that hired IBM to help it redesign its computer rooms, decided to shut down six of its seven data centers and put its back-up site inside a "green" IBM data center in Boulder, Colo. The new configuration is saving electricity costs and was also "appealing as a good corporate citizen caring about the environment," says Elaine Martinelli, the insurer's senior vice president for technology shared services."
| by Will Runyon | September 9, 2008 Permalink |
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