Intel Shows Data Centers Can Get By (Mostly) With Little AC

Ted Samson IW writes "InfoWorld reports on an experiment in air economization, aka 'free cooling,' conducted by Intel. For 10 months, the chipmaker had 500 production servers, working at 90 percent utilization, cooled almost exclusively by outside air at a facility in New Mexico. Only when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit did they crank on some artificial air conditioning. Intel did very little to address air-born contaminants and dust, and nothing at all to deal with fluctuating humidity. The result: a slightly higher failure rate — around 0.6 percent more — among the air-cooled servers compared to those in the company's main datacenter — and a potential savings of $2.87 million per year in a 10MW datacenter using free cooling over traditional cooling."

And that's why

[Anonymous Coward]

I leave my systems on the deck.

Re:Chimney effects

[Scienceman123]

The only problem with this and high-performance computing is latency time between nodes if the height is great enough.

Bad title... AC vs. AC

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought the story was going to be about Alternating Current, but instead it was Air Conditioning.

Written by another AC

Re:What About the Small Guys?

[iamhigh]

You must be new here.
There are no small guys... especially on /. We all run data centers with 3000 servers and program on apps with 10+ million LOC. We also all built something better than a 3d solar cell in the 5th grade.

Re:Perhaps they should be in Alaska

[Anonymous Coward]

Hm. Better be careful. It seems like they just found a big cloud of hot air somewhere. Near a village called Wasilla if I'm not mistaken.

Re:Perhaps they should be in Alaska

[Anonymous Coward]

That fine its moving to Washington soon. plus there are lots of Christian school girls about ;)

Re:Makes Sense

[tzhuge]

Us canucks can even use those data centers to heat our igloos. Right now I'm using my Xbox 360, but I think a data center would be much more efficient.

Re:What About the Small Guys?

[mrdoogee]

We all run data centers with 3000 servers and program on apps with 10+ million LOC. We also all built something better than a 3d solar cell in the 5th grade.

Pfft! I achieved a technological singularity 3 years ago. I am the datacenter.

Re:Chimney effects

[jitterman]

I do wonder how things could be improved with a decently sized stack... ?

Apparently you haven't checked your spam folder lately; you'll find plenty of answers in there addressing just this question. :)

Re:Perhaps they should be in Alaska

[Anonymous Coward]

So the hot air is good for helping those Christian girls cook stuff in the oven? hehe

Re:Makes Sense

[entgod]

No, I believe the gp did mean heppa as it's finnish for horse. He was talking about natural cooling solutions wasn't he? Can't beat a horse scrubbing out dirt and dust out of data centers when it comes to being natural.

Re:Have more then one of them

[mweather]

All plugged into the same supply of power...

Re:Makes Sense

[DrunkenTerror]

GTFO, Sarah.

Re:Chimney effects

[Adambomb]

Just to clarify, this warm-air evacuation phenomenon is powered by the force of suck.

Actually, according to another commenter to the parent you replied to, it's gone from suck to blow.

Re:Perhaps they should be in Alaska

[tnk1]

Don't worry, no matter how big that cloud is, it will not substantially alter the huge column of superheated air that is already over Washington.

Scientists are studying this phenomenon and preliminary findings show that without this heat contribution, we would actually be in an Ice Age right now.