INTELLIGENT DATACENTRES

Equinix will begin to define a multi-year global roadmap for thermal operations within its data centres aimed at achieving significantly more efficient cooling and decreased carbon impacts , all while continuing to deliver the premium operating environment Equinix is known for .

Over time , this initiative is expected to enable thousands of Equinix customers to reduce the Scope 3 carbon emissions associated with its data centre operations as supply chain sustainability becomes an increasingly important part of the overall environmental initiatives of today ’ s businesses .

IT equipment within data centres , including routers , servers and storage arrays , emit high levels of heat that requires data centres to be fitted with robust cooling systems to remove that heat .

“ Most data centres operate within restrictive temperature and humidity bands , resulting in environments that are unnecessarily cooler than required ,” said Rob Brothers , Program Vice President , Data centre Services , IDC . “ Equinix will work with enterprises to change the way we think about operating temperatures within data centre environments and how the industry can ensure optimal service levels for mission-critical digital infrastructure , while improving data centre efficiencies . With this initiative , Equinix will play a key role in driving change in the industry and help shape the overall sustainability story we all need to participate in .”

“ As a long-time partner , we are pleased to see that Equinix is driving efficient data centre operations through smart , sustainable operating practices ,” said Sue Preston , Vice President and General Manager , Advisory and Professional Services , Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ). “ Optimising data centre temperatures results in more efficient operations , benefitting businesses and the planet . Through the HPE GreenLake alliance , both HPE and Equinix offer a comprehensive , cloud-smart and sustainable customer solution .”

As a part of this efficiency initiative , Equinix expects to operate its facilities closer to 27 ° C ( 80 ° F ), aligning operating limits across its global data centre portfolio with the globally accepted boundaries of the A1A standards from the American Society of Heating , Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE ).

When combined with existing Equinix initiatives such as optimising the use of outside air temperatures to cool its data centres , this new initiative will contribute to the overall sustainability of its data centres through efficiency improvements measured through Power Usage Effectiveness ( PUE ). PUE represents the total amount of power being used by a data centre divided by the power used to run the IT equipment within the data centre , providing an industry standard for data centre energy efficiency .

“ Our cooling systems account for approximately 25 % of our total energy usage globally ,” said Raouf Abdel , Executive Vice President , Global Operations for Equinix . “ With this new initiative , we can intelligently adjust the thermostat in our data centres in the same way that consumers do in their homes . Once rolled out across our current global data centre footprint , we anticipate energy efficiency improvements of as much as 10 % in various locations .” •

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