Google Data Center Efficiency Best Practices Full Video

Summary

Google's data centers, crucial for delivering web services, are designed for energy and resource efficiency. Innovations in design have reduced energy usage by half compared to typical centers. Key practices include optimizing Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), managing airflow to prevent hot and cold air mixing, increasing cold aisle temperatures, utilizing free cooling, and minimizing power conversion stages. These strategies not only save millions in energy costs but are also applicable to data centers of all sizes, promoting sustainability.

Takeaways

• 🌐 Google prioritizes data center efficiency to deliver web services with minimal resource use.
• 🔍 Data centers can range from small closets to large warehouse-scale buildings filled with servers.
• 💡 Google has innovated in data center design to reduce energy, water, and other resource consumption.
• 🌡️ The ICT sector, including data centers, contributes about 2% to global greenhouse gas emissions, with data centers accounting for 0.15%.
• 🛠️ Energy-efficient design choices and best practices can significantly improve data center performance and reduce energy use.
• 📈 Google's efforts in data center efficiency have resulted in substantial energy savings, amounting to millions of dollars.
• 🔬 Measuring Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is crucial for managing data center efficiency and should be done continuously.
• 🚫 Proper air flow management, including eliminating hot and cold air mixing, is essential for reducing energy load.
• 🌡️ Increasing the temperature in the cold aisle can save energy costs and is supported by ASHRAE guidelines up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 🌡️ Free cooling, which utilizes ambient temperatures, can significantly reduce the need for energy-intensive cooling equipment.
• 💧 Evaporative cooling and sea water cooling are examples of efficient water use in data centers, leading to substantial water savings.
• 🔌 Minimizing power conversion stages and using efficient power supplies can save energy and reduce costs in data centers.
• 🔄 Implementing these efficiency practices is cost-effective and can be applied to both small and large data centers.

Q & A

Why are data centers crucial for Google's operations?

Data centers are essential for Google as they deliver all of their web services to users. They can range from small closets with a few machines to large-scale buildings optimized for power use and IT computing, housing thousands of servers.

What has Google done to innovate data center design and construction?

Google has spent a significant amount of time innovating the design and construction of their data centers to minimize energy, water, and other resource usage, focusing on sustainability and efficiency.

How much energy does the ICT sector contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions?

The ICT sector, which includes mobile phones, computers, monitors, cell phone towers, etc., contributes roughly about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the significance of the data center's energy usage in the ICT sector's total emissions?

The data center portion of the ICT sector is responsible for about 15% of the total emissions within the sector.

What is the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and why is it important?

PUE is the ratio of total facility energy to IT equipment energy within a data center. It measures how effectively power and cooling are delivered to the IT equipment. A lower PUE indicates more efficient energy use and is desirable.

What was the typical PUE of an enterprise data center in 2006 and what has changed since then at Google?

In 2006, the typical PUE of an enterprise data center was 2.0. At Google, they have continuously improved their PUE, reaching a Time-Weighted Average (TTM) PUE of 1.16 over the last 12 months.

Why is it important to measure PUE frequently and over time?

Frequent and time-based measurement of PUE provides meaningful results that reflect the actual operation of the data center. Snapshots in time can be misleading and do not accurately represent the data center's efficiency.

How does Google manage PUE measurements in their data centers?

Google incorporates PUE measurements into their building management system across all sites, ensuring easy access to data and enabling efficient operation of their data centers.

What is the significance of managing air flow in a data center?

Managing air flow is crucial for reducing the data center's energy load. It involves eliminating the mixing of hot and cold air, which can be achieved through various containment approaches and CFD analysis.

How does Google use thermal modeling to improve air flow in their data centers?

Google uses thermal modeling to identify hot spots and understand how air flow is directed in their data centers. This helps them make simple design choices to improve air flow, such as using sheet metal extensions to increase intake to CRACs (Computer Room Air Conditioners).

What is the role of blanking panels in a data center and how do they contribute to energy savings?

Blanking panels are used in the rack space where not all equipment is populated. They help create a tight environment, similar to weatherizing a house, preventing air from bypassing the IT equipment and thus improving cooling efficiency and saving energy costs.

Why is raising the temperature in the cold aisle of a data center beneficial?

Raising the temperature in the cold aisle allows for more efficient cooling and reduces the need for heavy energy-consuming equipment like chillers. ASHRAE recommends running up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which Google implements, saving thousands of dollars in energy costs annually.

What is free cooling and how does Google utilize it in their data centers?

Free cooling is the practice of using ambient temperatures outside the data center for cooling without operating energy-intensive equipment. Google uses free cooling in all their data centers, which is reflected in their PUE data and results in significant efficiency gains.

How does Google implement evaporative cooling in their European data centers?

In Belgium, Google uses evaporative towers without chillers, taking advantage of local ambient conditions. In Finland, they use sea water cooling from the Bay of Finland, which cools the servers and then is tempered before returning to the bay, maintaining environmental balance.

What are some of the energy-efficient practices Google has implemented in their data centers?

Google has implemented several practices, including eliminating conversion stages in power supply, using battery on board trays, and ensuring AC-DC power supplies are energy efficient, which collectively save over 30% per year per server.

How do the efficiency best practices mentioned in the script apply to data centers of different sizes?

The efficiency best practices are applicable to both small and large data centers. They involve following five key steps to reduce energy use, making them a universal approach for improving data center efficiency.