One of the greatest challenges for data center operators today is the increasing cost of power and cooling as a portion of the total cost of operation. Power and cooling costs indata centers have risen sharply over the past several years—as much as 400 percent in the span of a decade.1 In many data centers, electricity now represents as much as half of total operating expenses.2 Of equal concern is capacity. In 2007, IDC found that 40 percent of data center owners said they would exceed power capacity within 12 to 24 months without expansion.3 Three years later, IDC stated that data center power, cooling, and space problems will continue and even accelerate beyond those earlier projections.
Another 39 percent of data center owners say they will exceed cooling capacity in 12 to 24 months.5 Paradoxically, many data centers lack precise data on their power and cooling usage and the finer controls to make the most of power and cooling resources.
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