NetApp Research Triangle Park Data Center Energy-Efficient

NetApp, Inc. will hold a grand opening celebration to showcase its new energy-efficient dynamic data center located at the NetApp technology center in Research Triangle Park (RTP). The celebration also marks the 10-year anniversary of NetApp in the RTP region.

The grand opening ceremony event will be attended by Keith Crisco, secretary of the North Carolina department of commerce; Tony Caravano, deputy state director for U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagen; Alexandra Sullivan, technical development manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR; and key NetApp executives.

The new facility expands NetApp’s engineering and development efforts in the region, including furthering research initiatives to create and improve storage efficiency and cloud-enabling technologies. The new dynamic data center will enable NetApp to consolidate its engineering facilities into a global dynamic lab (GDL) and provide a highly available and redundant infrastructure for NetApp’s IT operations.

The 132,000-square-foot facility houses a 36,000-square-foot dynamic data center supporting 2,166 racks of data-processing equipment with a designed power load of nearly 25mW.

World-Class Energy Efficiency
NetApp’s goals for sustainability and reducing data center power consumption are reflected in the innovative design and construction of its data center. NetApp estimates that the data center’s power usage effectiveness (PUE)(1) will be 1.2, or 80% more efficient than the average data center PUE of 2.0(2), which will result in NetApp saving $7.3 million a year. NetApp’s energy efficiency improvements will also result in reducing CO2 by 93,000 tons a year, which is equivalent to removing 15,400 cars from the road.

Following are key features that will contribute
to the RTP data center’s outstanding energy efficiency:

• 74° F average supply air temperature: Using a higher temperature threshold on supply air (74° F instead of 55° to 60° F) allows NetApp to dramatically reduce cooling costs.
• Airside economizer: The data center is cooled by using just outside air (free cooling) 67% of the time during the year.
• Pressure-controlled room: Modulating fans, based on NetApp’s proprietary technology, supply pressure-controlled rooms and regulate the volume of air to avoid oversupplying air and wasting energy.
• Cold aisle containment: The cold room separates the cold and hot air streams to protect supply air temperatures from being affected by hot air returning from the racks.
• Overhead air distribution: Instead of pumping cold air up through the floors (raised floors), overhead air distribution takes advantage of cold/hot air buoyancy and eliminates ductwork, reducing the energy needed for fans.

Storage Efficiency and Cloud Computing
In addition to its energy-efficient facility design, NetApp software will help dramatically improve data management and storage efficiency in the data center. The new dynamic data center will leverage the latest virtualization solutions to build a private cloud environment to provide virtual access for NetApp engineering labs around the world. The dynamic data center will also serve as a model for clients interested in building energy-efficient dynamic data centers and cloud environments for their enterprise users.

NetApp RTP Receives ENERGY STAR Rating
NetApp’s commitment to environmental stewardship and energy savings extends beyond the dynamic data center. During the ceremony today, the Environmental Protection Agency will present NetApp with the prestigious ENERGY STAR for the superior energy efficiency of its RTP office building 2. This signifies that the commercial building’s energy performance rates in the top 25% of facilities nationwide, uses an average of 35% less energy than typical buildings, and releases 35% less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Building 2 has a rating of 95, which places it in the top 5% in terms of energy performance for facilities nationwide.

10-Year Anniversary
NetApp began operations in the RTP in 1999 and currently employs 987 employees in the region. The NetApp RTP operations include product research and development and a 24×7 global service and support center.

(1) Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a metric, established by The Green Grid, used to determine the energy efficiency of a data center. PUE is determined by dividing the amount of power entering a data center by the power used to run the computer infrastructure within it. PUE is therefore expressed as a ratio, with overall efficiency improving as the quotient decreases toward 1. A value of 1.00 would indicate 100% efficiency: all energy going into the data center is used to power the computer equipment and nothing else.

(2) Based on observed energy efficiency trends from 2007-2011. Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency, Public Law 109-431, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Program, August 2, 2007.