While most technology companies focus on finding new ways to cool down servers in data centres, one company has taken an opposite approach – finding a way to get servers into the air-conditioned comfort of the carpeted office.
Creating a cabinet does away with the need for a server room and allows servers to run alongside humans in an office, is a greener approach to providing data processing, Kell Systems said at Green IT Expo last week, showing off a sound-proofed cabinet for servers.
The answer to that is that servers do need clean air, and they also make a lot of noise. Kell’s solution is to put the servers inside a standard rack, that is mounted in an office-friendly cabinet.
This has wood veneer on the outside, casters on the bottom, and – far more importantly – sound proofing and efficient acoustic baffles on the air intakes.
In typical usage, Kell server cabinets reduce perceived server noise by approximately 83 percent and CO2 emissions by 96.5 percent, compared with putting the servers in a data centre with purpose built cooling, according to Mark Richards, business development director at Kell.
“When compared to a server room, they reduce floor space by 90 percent, operating costs by 98 percent, and capital costs by up to 80 percent,” he said.
Despite the size of these claims, Kell is a comparative late-comer to Green IT events. Its cabinets were originally proposed simply to make servers run more quietly. The company noticed the green spin-offs later, as energy costs increased, and companies became more carbon-conscious, said Richards.
Google clashes with US Justice Department in closing arguments as government argues Google used illegal…
Prominent Stanford University AI scientist Fei-Fei Li reportedly completes funding round for start-up based on…
Apple shares surge on optimism that new AI-focused hardware launches will drive renewed sales, starting…
Biden vetoes Republican-backed measure amidst dispute over 'joint employer' status for contract workers, affecting tech…
Lawyers in US social media addiction action say strict controls on Douyin in China show…
More than 10,000 London black cab drivers sue Uber claiming company acted illegally to obtain…
View Comments
What they fail to understand is that it takes the same amount if energy, if not more, to cool a server in an office as in a data centre.
This comment has been posted from eWeek UK iPhone app
Yes... I'd be surprised of the benefits are anywhere near she they claim...
If you take a look at Kell's customer list, it's clear that a lot of very knowledgable people in the IT industry (Google to mention just one) find the benefits both real and economically attractive. I'd take that evidence every time vs. the comments of a couple of anonymous sceptics.
Good to see a story on Kell Server Cabinets attracting attention and stirring up debate. If I may, I'd like to respond to the comments questioning the authenticity of our claims and the amount of energy required to cool a server in an office compared to in a data centre.
It is important to begin by understanding how a Kell Server Cabinet cools.
The Kell Server Cabinet operates a powerful yet low-energy forced-air cooling system. This intakes office air at its coolest point – from ground level – pulls it through the equipment, from front-to-back in a super-efficient manner which assists the onboard cooling of these devices, extracting it from the rear of the equipment and pushing it out the rear of the Kell Server Cabinet, dispersing it into the office ambient air like a drop of warm water added to a glass of cold water: almost imperceptibly.
The Kell method has several advantages over the data centre cooling method, which can at times be akin to chilling an entire kitchen to keep a pint of milk cold.
Firstly, offices are usually kept around 25 degrees compared to an average temperature of 22 degrees in a data centre, so to compare the two is to misrepresent the conditions of each.
Secondly, servers fare better when ran at slightly warmer temperatures then the aforementioned 22 degrees (see extensive Google research and findings on the subject).
Third, a Kell Server Cabinet soundproofs IT equipment so it can sit in the office, meaning you avoid the cost, space wastage and huge environmental impacts of building a server room in the first place.
Fourth, especially in Northern Europe, the Kell Server Cabinet offers a rudimentary means of using the energy given off by a server to actually contribute to lowering the office heating bill, something that is otherwise only possible in the most modern of green buildings. The outside temperature in this region is lower than the optimal office temperature of 25 degrees for 95% of the year.
Finally, our claims and understandings of what our cabinets are capable of all come from real life experiences, from Case Studies, not from theories or estimates. Thousands of customers all over the world, including, as the third commenter pointed out, some very clever people at places like NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, British Telecom, Rolls Royce, ABN Amro, Motorola and Fijitsu Siemens all believe in and can demonstrate the massive up-front and long-term benefits of deploying Kell Server Cabinets versus building server rooms.
We welcome anyone to engage with us directly to learn more about how we do what we do. Chances are we will have a Case Study or an ROI report applicable to your sector.