Check out a new In-Depth article added to the site, written by Lee Harrison of Peritus Power - Standards lead push toward energy-efficient computingPoints covered include:
* The ac/dc power-conversion step in the overall power chain for server farms can yield some of the most significant gains in power efficiency.
* To meet industry standards, manufacturers have taken different approaches, including using interleaved PFC (power-factor control), bridgeless PFC, and resonant topologies.
* Thanks to its 0V switching losses, higher switching frequencies, and smaller footprints, resonant-converter topology may be able to achieve Energy Star Platinum standards.
* For the near future, silicon will remain the dominant switchingsemiconductor material, and gallium nitride will start to make inroads over the next year.
He makes some interesting points. For example:
Environmental concerns are not the only ones behind the push to energy efficiency. Electronic equipment that runs cooler has lower failure rates and increased reliability. Data centres save money when servers require less power because less power means decreased cooling and air-conditioning costs. Large data farms benefit from relatively small reductions in electricity cost.Read the full article >>
Google, for example, may be able to save nearly $1 million a year in utility bills by reducing power consumption by 2 to 3%. Some industry analysts believe that financial benefits are more important than climate issues; in a time of reducing costs across all businesses, this belief may be one factor in the drive toward energy efficiency.
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