Energy Efficient Memory Blog

Power-Hungry Data Centers Demand Memory Innovations

It might have been at one time that a data center was a collection of servers inside a corporation; servers that do things like your e-mail and the like. But today we've got data centers all over the world, and they are doing things like running the Web. I was really surprised when digging into this a little bit and discovered that worldwide, data centers consume over a 100 billion kilowatt hours annually. A hundred billion kilowatt hours; it's almost unfathomable.

In this trend of more and more rich data being moved through these server centers, it's just all going to add up to consume more and more power. If you look at the overall piece, 100-plus billion kilowatt hours, and if you just look at the memory piece of that and think about what we can save, we're still talking about some pretty significant numbers here. Roughly five to six billion kilowatt hours of memory power consumption could be saved just by adopting the new Micron parts the 1Gb-based, DDR2 reduced chip count (RCC) modules and 1.5V DDR2 FBDIMMs.

Dean Klein, VP of Market Development, Micron Technology, Inc.

Power Demands of Data Centers Require Memory Innovations

The U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR program is conducting a study to assess opportunities for energy efficiency improvements to computer servers and data centers. This is in response to Public Law 109-431, which was passed and signed into law December 20, 2006. This legislation requires an investigation down to the microchip level. As a manufacturer of semiconductor memory products used in server systems, Micron intends to proactively address these opportunities.

I authored a white paper called “The Power Demands of Data Centers Require Memory Innovations,” which talks about DRAM in computing applications. You can download my white paper from Micron’s Energy Efficient Memory Web site.

Michael Sporer, Regional Sales Manager, Micron Technology, Inc.

Micron Joins the Green Grid

The goal of the Green Grid consortium is to reduce power consumption at computing data centers worldwide. It's a membership made for us. We have a major silicon component in servers. And we have ways of designing those memory modules so they will consume less power. Our new Aspen Memory® modules are prime examples. The energy savings they can provide is pretty amazing—especially on a worldwide scale. And it's right in line with the Green Grid's mission.

Dean Klein, VP of Market Development, Micron Technology, Inc.

What’s the Next Step to Power Savings?

Last week I got a letter from my local utility company, offering a great deal on compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The letter pointed out that if everyone in my town changed ONE incandescent bulb to a CFL, we could save enough energy to power ~1/10 of the homes in the town for a whole year.

I decided to install CFLs because it made economic sense to me. The utility company offered me an incentive to do it. Does that make me any less of an environmentalist? I'd like to think not.

Needless to say, the postcard went into the recycle bin because I was already doing my small part. But beyond my four walls and the town where I live, big server farms and data centers are consuming billions of watts of power. With the right tools—like power-saving memory modules—and the right incentives—like bottom dollar savings—then I think we'll start seeing real results.

Michael Sporer, Regional Sales Manager, Micron Technology, Inc.

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Read interesting perspectives on trends, events, policies, and solutions that are making headlines in the world of energy-saving memory innovations.