Teridian ICs for data center energy measurement

IRVINE, USA: Energy efficiency -- it's in the news everyday alongside stories of green technology and other environmental challenges. The issue of energy efficiency impacts all facets of our economy, from the electricity grid, to the corporate enterprise network and the consumer in their home. While conservation is at the forefront for many businesses and consumers, there is no denying that energy consumption is on the rise.

Due to these challenges, governments around the globe are sensitive to the issues of energy generation and conservation and are working hand in hand with companies to increase intelligence and enhance productivity throughout the grid, from energy generation to transmission lines, electricity meters, electrical outlets, and devices.

A primary target for energy optimization and efficiency enhancements are data centers and corporate computing environments that act as the critical nerve center of enterprises around the globe. With increased demand for faster performance, virtualization and even basic requirements for cooling and air flow in server rooms, data centers and the enterprise networks they serve are driving energy usage through the roof.

Data centers account for an estimated 1.5 percent of the current energy consumption in the United States, costing IT departments more than $4.5 billion annually, according to a report released by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2007. Without efficiency gains, the EPA expects the total consumption due to data centers to double by 2011.

"The first step to achieving efficiency in energy consumption is measurement," said Gerald Fitch, chief executive officer, Teridian Semiconductor. "Without measurement, control cannot be achieved."

And who would know better than Fitch, the CEO of Teridian Semiconductor, which is an early innovator in measurement for smart meters. Teridian is a privately held company based in Irvine, focused on developing and delivering semiconductor solutions for energy measurement, control and communication. A 35 year old company with its roots firmly planted in smart metering, Teridian launched its first chip for this market over 20 years ago and is now on its fifth generation of products.

"The issue of energy management for the data center and enterprise network is not a new concept," said Fitch. "However, energy usage tracking and measurement has typically been focused on the infrastructure, or the building. The next step is to look at the data center from the inside out, measuring how the equipment inside of the building is using energy. A new class of ICs is on the horizon that will allow OEMs to integrate smart measurement into servers, power supplies, power distribution units, and communications equipment in a cost-efficient way."

The Green Grid, a global consortium dedicated to developing and promoting energy efficiency for data centers and information service, recommends the use of metrics, which enable data center operators to quickly estimate the energy efficiency of the data centers, compare the results against other data centers and determine if energy efficiency improvements need to be made.

In addition, data centers must deploy the necessary gauges, metering and logging of data to enable the accurate and long-term measurement of data needed in order for Power Usage Effectiveness and Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency trending, and other efficiency metrics, to be meaningful.

A recent whitepaper issued by The Green Grid titled, Existing Metrics, Guidelines and Programs Affecting Data Center and IT Energy Efficiency states, "Analysis tools are required to determine the contribution of each piece of equipment to the overall energy efficiency of the data center. With these tools in hand, the data center operator can assess the energy efficiency of the data center, determine those areas most in need of improvement and validate the effectiveness of modifications once implemented."

To achieve this goal, OEMs are turning to energy measurement IC solutions to track electricity costs at an outlet level, remotely monitor power supply failure and predictability and protect equipment with intelligent breaker functionality.

Having served the smart metering industry with proven, system-on-a-chip (SoC) designs that have high performance, accuracy and the greatest level of integration, Teridian, a member of the Green Grid consortium, is well-suited to address the issue of data center energy productivity. To this end, Teridian is readying its first chip offerings that address energy measurement and communication for the data center. The company has leveraged its expertise in designing single chip solutions for the metering market and has extended its IP to develop ICs that make the equipment inside the data center smarter.

Teridian continues to innovate in the smart metering arena and has the unique ability to address the smart energy movement as a whole. Teridian's innovative IC solutions measure and communicate electricity consumption at the grid, through the enterprise network and finally to the consumer in their home.

"We're helping utilities, large enterprises and consumers use electricity efficiently," added Fitch. "The next frontier is upon us, and it's centered on the fact that you can't manage what you can't measure."