Challenging the validity of claims for DC power in data centres

With the rising cost and consumption of electrical power, coupled with the increasing pressure on companies to become ‘green’, energy efficiency has become a widely debated topic. However, in the headlong dash to show green credentials exaggerated claims are being made which need to be challenged.

Recently, there has been much hype in the media about the virtues of DC power for data centres. First impressions can be deceptive as the performance of DC systems have not been compared with the best AC systems available. In a white paper Ian Bitterlin of Chloride offers a European perspective, which challenges the validity of some important claims for DC power. Indeed he concludes that the advantages are very much smaller than claimed and, in the holistic view of data centre efficiency, are largely inconsequential.