Can electricity supplies keep up with growing server demand?

Innovations in data centre technology have brought many benefits, but there is a downside

A new generation of servers has contributed to a quiet revolution in data centres, providing tremendous computing power from a declining amount of space.

Just as new technologies have shrunk the world’s most powerful supercomputer from the size of a football stadium to that of a tennis court, other innovations are enabling firms to compress tens of servers into a space that several years ago held just one.

But while this development has generated many benefits for IT departments, especially in terms of consolidation, it has also created some major headaches.
First, by cramming 40 or 50 servers into the space previously occupied by only one, companies now have to take care of issues relating to heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

And this has revealed an entirely new problem that could be the cause of more serious concern for IT managers, by exposing limitations in the national grid.
Andy Harding, managing director of ISP and co-location provider Internet Connections, says that a single data centre consumes a significant amount of electricity.

‘A 30,000-square-foot facility normally has about 2MW of power. This is the same as the amount of power used by 2,000 to 2,500 homes,’ he said.

‘In a data centre, about 50 per cent of the available power goes to air conditioning and charging the battery backup. Therefore you only have half as much power for your servers as you have coming into the building.

‘We used to be able to fill a rack with 10 servers. Now there is room for 90 servers in a rack, but not enough power. We have lots of wasted space.

‘With such huge amounts of electricity being used, coupled with being in an urban centre, the grid just cannot cope with the demand.’

Harding says the problem is already affecting the growth of his company.

‘One of our facilities in Manchester has physical space for expansion, but there is no more power available,’ he said.

‘We were told that the power supply could meet our growth for two years, but it has only lasted six months.’

And he warns that the same problem is cropping up in other urban areas, particularly London.

Mike Tobin, chief executive for European data centre provider Redbus Interhouse, agrees.

‘In Canary Wharf specifically, most of the power infrastructure was installed quite a long time ago, to supply technology we do not use,’ he said.

‘Even five years ago, no one thought blade servers would be around. You used to have four servers in a rack, now there are 40, 50, 60 or 70, all taking the same amount of power. It is a massive strain.’

Tobin says companies are effectively doubling their electrical needs to compensate for the necessary cooling.

‘Server rooms are even worse at cooling, so probably three times as much power is needed,’ he said.

‘Everyone used to pick IBM because that was all they knew, then they bought Dell, because it was cheaper, but now they are interested in what chip firms are putting inside their servers, because of the power specification.’

The problem is not simply an issue for the IT department; it is also putting pressure on the bottom line.

Organisations such as Redbus Interhouse and Internet Connections have been confronted with severe price hikes in recent years, driving them to adopt more innovative strategies for procuring their power supplies.

‘We have professionals buying electricity for us,’ said Tobin.

‘Within the big banks and larger buildings, if they buy electricity in bulk they can probably be more careful about what electrical contracts they buy,’ he said. ‘The kind of savings you can get can be amazing. It’s a new focus.’

The change in price has been so significant that it has fundamentally changed Tobin’s business plans.

‘We don’t charge for space anymore, only for the power consumed,’ he said.
‘Space is no longer relevant. People need to be more creative with this issue.’
One major user, who declined to be named, says that the electricity used over the three-year lifecycle of his servers costs more than the equipment itself.

Outside of cost, another factor that can seriously disrupt an IT department’s expansion plans is the delay involved in securing new power supplies.

Some experts believe that adding major server capacity can lead to delays of several months until enough power is obtained, while getting sufficient electricity for a new data centre can involve hold-ups of months or even years.

It is unlikely there is any one source that can be blamed for the problem.

‘I do not think the root of the problem is the power companies,’ said Harding. ‘They could not have seen this coming.’

Tobin adds that utility firms such as EDF Energy, one of the major suppliers in the south east, still has to deal with a lot of old technology, but is working hard on the matter.

‘EDF Energy does a good job and invests millions in technology,’ he said.

The utility company will not comment on specific issues, but does warn businesses to give plenty of notice of future increases in demand.

‘Timing is always a critical factor to ensure that we can meet future increases in demand for supplies, and we always advise businesses to liaise with us early on when they know their power needs are going to increase,’ said an EDF spokesman.

At a national level, there is some recognition of the problem. A spokesman for Ofgem, the UK’s gas and electricity regulator, says £5bn of extra investment will be spent on the national grid over the next five years.

‘All indicators show a performance increase of 10 per cent,’ he said.

‘Reliability is getting better. But a lot of kit is old, and stuff needs to be replaced.’