Are Precision Air Conditioners the Answer to Rising Data Center Costs?
Data centers in Southeast Asia and Australia will nearly double their spending on precision air conditioning (PAC) by 2016. The growth in the adoption of the technology is being fired by a greater awareness of its benefits, according to a recently released report from global consulting and research company Frost & Sullivan.
From 2009 to 2016, precision cooling spending in the region will jump from $217.7 million to $415.7 million, the report predicted. It pegged the increase to the need to implement more efficient cooling systems in the face of rising average temperature in data centers due to the growing use of blade and high-power servers.
“Technological evolvement has led to energy-efficient PAC systems with sophisticated architecture or structural orientation such as rack or row cooling methods,” Frost & Sullivan analyst Teoh Chew Yew said in a statement. “With its ability to efficiently manage and regulate working environmental conditions like temperature and humidity, PAC is gaining market traction in the IT and telecom industry as a viable and cost-effective power solution.”
Although new developments that emphasize energy and system efficiency will reduce average power density and heat dissipation requirements which will erode demand for precision cooling systems in the long term, in the near-term, the market is still in good shape, the report noted. “Overall, burgeoning data centers and the need to handle the increasing heat dissipation load coupled with the development of energy-efficient cooling systems will stand the PAC market in good stead,” it said.
Moreover, it added: “The current financial crisis has also served as a catalyst for hardware rationalization, and companies are keen on greater savings from recurring and operational costs. PAC ensures both conservation of energy and reduction of cost.”
1 Comments