POWER INFRASTRUCTURE SIZING AND WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT

According to an example, power infrastructure sizing and workload management of an entity may include receiving power supply and information technology (IT) workload demand input parameter specifications for the entity, and using the power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications for a power infrastructure sizing and workload management model for the entity. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management model may be used to generate power supply and IT workload demand output parameter specifications for the entity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Entities such as data centers, buildings, electronics cabinets, etc., typically implement and operate components so as to reduce energy usage and the associated carbon footprint. For example, an entity may use renewable on-site power supplies and alternative cooling approaches to reduce energy usage and the associated carbon footprint. While such solutions may provide significant environmental benefits, the high costs associated with such solutions often limit their adaption in practice. In this regard, the high costs may be reduced by more effective usage of such renewable resources during the operation of entities. The high costs may also be reduced by optimizing the design and operation of entities to minimize the total cost across the entity lifecycle. For example, the high costs may be reduced by determining the appropriate mix and size of renewable power sources to minimize the capital expense, and optimizing IT workload management combined with energy supply provisioning to minimize operational energy cost.

According to an example, a power infrastructure sizing and workload management apparatus, and a method for power infrastructure sizing and workload management of an entity are disclosed herein. The apparatus and method disclosed herein may be implemented to minimize energy costs of entities, including capital and operational costs, by integrating energy supply provisioning with information technology (IT) workload demand management across the entity lifecycle. The apparatus and method disclosed herein may provide for the design and operation of an entity consuming net-zero energy from a grid over the lifetime of the entity at a minimal cost.

The apparatus and method disclosed herein may integrate the management of power supply and demand for an entity to minimize the lifetime cost, while maintaining the environmental impact target of an entity. For example, the apparatus and method disclosed herein may determine the optimal mix and size of power sources to minimize capital cost. Further, the apparatus and method disclosed herein may schedule IT workloads based on power supply availability to minimize operational cost. By using local renewable generation and optimizing the power micro-grid with demand management, the apparatus and method disclosed herein may provide for the design and operation of entities using renewable energy while minimizing total cost.

The apparatus and method disclosed herein may provide for integrated optimization of power infrastructure sizing and workload management from design to operation. The total lifetime energy cost of an entity, including capital expenditures and operational expenditures, may be reduced, while maintaining the environmental impact target of an entity. In addition, entities may be designed and operated to consume net-zero energy from a grid over the entity lifetime at a minimal cost.

FIG. 1illustrates an architecture of a power infrastructure sizing and workload management apparatus100, according to an example. The apparatus100may be used for power infrastructure sizing and workload management of an entity, such as a data center, building, electronics cabinet, etc. Referring toFIG. 1, the apparatus100is depicted as including a power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102to receive power supply and information technology (IT) workload demand input parameter specifications104(hereinafter “input parameter specifications104”) for an entity. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102may utilize the input parameter specifications104for a power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106. The input parameter specifications104may include specifications for parameters related to onsite power generation108, power from grid110, energy storage112, IT workload demand and service-level agreements (SLAs)114, and cooling116.

The power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may be used to determine the optimal mix and size of power sources to minimize capital cost for an entity, and schedule IT workloads based on supply availability to minimize operational cost for the entity. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may use the input parameter specifications104to evaluate cost of entity power generation at118, entity capital expenditure at120, entity operational expenditure at122, and cost of energy storage at124. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may be used to generate power supply and IT workload demand output parameter specifications126(hereinafter “output parameter specifications126”) for the entity. The output parameter specifications126may include data for parameters related to onsite power generation128, power from grid130, energy storage132, and IT workload scheduling134. A power infrastructure sizing and workload management implementation module136may receive the output parameter specifications126to implement the optimal mix and size of power sources to minimize capital cost, and schedule IT workloads based on supply availability to minimize operational cost. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management implementation module136may be provided as a component of the apparatus100or separately from the apparatus100to implement the output parameter specifications126.

The modules102and136, and other components of the apparatus100that perform various other functions in the apparatus100, may include machine readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium. In addition, or alternatively, the modules102and136, and other components of the apparatus100, may include hardware or a combination of machine readable instructions and hardware.

The power infrastructure sizing and workload management apparatus100may generally provide for integration of the management of resource supply and demand for an entity to deliver sustainable entities. The apparatus100may generally integrate the management of power supply and demand for an entity in order to minimize the lifetime cost of the entity, while maintaining the environmental impact target of the entity. This may be accomplished by optimizing the power infrastructure size and managing IT workloads based on resource availability. The apparatus100may provide for the proper design and correct provisioning of the power supply infrastructure to minimize the capital cost, while providing sufficient renewable resources to meet the carbon footprint target of an entity. Further, the apparatus100may provide for balancing of the entity workload, and thus operational energy demand within given supply-side constraints to minimize the operational cost of an entity. In this regard, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may characterize the power supply and demand of an entity and generate a general capacity management solution that integrates supply-aware workload planning with supply-side sizing to optimize the power supply infrastructure and workload management from design to operation.

In order to integrate power supply sizing and IT workload capacity planning, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102may receive the power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications104. The input parameter specifications104may include specifications for parameters related to onsite power generation108, power from grid110, energy storage112, IT workload demand and SLAs114, and cooling116. The input parameter specifications104may generally account for energy supply options and related parameters, location specific environmental data, IT workload demand, and operational goals. For example, the input parameter specifications104may be based on receipt of power source options and costs (e.g., electricity price, renewable supplies), energy storage parameters, environmental data (e.g., weather data), IT workload and SLAs, and operational goals (e.g., carbon emission reduction target for an entity).

The power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102may utilize the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106that generates, for example, an optimal mix and size of power sources, a detailed power generation and consumption profile, a cost report, and a workload scheduling plan. For example, the optimal mix and size of power sources may provide optimal power infrastructure sizes. The detailed power generation and consumption profile may provide, for example, projections for energy consumption, and energy supply. The detailed cost report and comparison of different solutions may provide, for example, a total cost breakdown (e.g., capital expenditures and operational expenditures), carbon footprint for an entity, and payback period. Further, the workload scheduling plan may provide, for example, a detailed IT workload and capacity allocation plan.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2,FIG. 2illustrates parameters200of the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106, according to an example of the present disclosure. In order to implement the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102may receive the power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications104. The parameters200may be partitioned as power supply parameters shown inFIG. 2at202, and IT demand (i.e., IT workload demand) input parameters at204. The power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications104(i.e., power supply parameters at202, and IT demand parameters at204) may be respectively characterized as energy infrastructure parameters and energy demand parameters.

With respect to the power supply parameters at202, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may consider two categories of power generation options, that is, onsite power generation at206and power from the grid at208. Onsite power generation at206may include renewable or non-renewable power generated by an entity's own facilities. For example, the onsite power generation at206may include parameter Ccthat may represent installed capacity of onsite power generation including units of kW (e.g., 500 kW of solar power), parameter fc(t) that may represent a capacity factor of onsite power generation at time t, where 0≦fc(t)≦1, parameter ec(t) that may represent a carbon emission factor of onsite power generation at time t including units of CO2-eq kg/kWh, parameter Icthat may represent an amortized capital cost of onsite power generation including units of $/kW, and parameter pc(t) that may represent operational and maintenance cost of onsite power generation including units of $/kWh. The parameters ec(t), IC, and pc(t) may represent input parameters that receive the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106, and the parameters Ccand fc(t) may represent output parameters that generate output parameter specifications126using the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106.

Power from the grid at208may include, for example, electricity from traditional power plants and renewable energy sources. For example, the power from the grid at208may include parameter Cgthat may represent an installed capacity of power from the grid including units of kW, parameter pg(t) that may represent an electricity price of power from the grid at time t including units of $/kWh, parameter pb(t) that may represent a sell-back price of power from the grid at time t including units of $/kWh, parameter cg(t) that may represent an energy consumption of power from the grid at time t including units of kWh, and parameter eg(t) that may represent a carbon emission factor of power from the grid at time t including units of CO2-eq kg/kWh. The parameters pg(t), pb(t), and eg(t) may represent input parameters that receive the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106, and the parameters Cgand cg(t) may represent output parameters that generate output parameter specifications126using the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106.

The power supply parameters at202may further include parameters related to energy storage devices at210. For example, the energy storage devices at210may include parameter Cethat may represent an installed capacity of energy storage including units of kW, parameter die(t) that may represent a power discharge of energy storage at time t including units of kWh, parameter che(t) that may represent a power charge of energy storage at time t including units of kWh, parameter ρ that may represent an energy storage loss rate, parameter ue(t) that may represent an emerge storage at time t including units of kWh, where 0≦ue(t)≦Ce, parameter Iethat may represent an amortized capital cost of energy storage including units of $/kWh, and parameter pe(t) may represent operational and maintenance cost of energy storage at time t including units of $/kWh. The parameters ρ, ue(t), Ie, and pe(t) may represent input parameters that receive the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106, and the parameters Ce, die(t), and che(t) may represent output parameters that generate output parameter specifications126using the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106.

With respect to the IT workload demand input parameters at204, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may consider that entities generally support a range of IT workloads (i.e., at212), including both primary interactive applications that may run 24 hrs/day and 7 days/week (e.g., Internet services), and non-interactive, delay tolerant, batch-style applications (e.g., scientific applications, financial analysis, and image processing), which may be referred to as secondary workloads. Thus, primary workloads may be defined by their IT demand, and the secondary workloads may be defined in terms of IT demand and completion time. Generally, secondary workloads may be scheduled to run anytime as long as such workloads finish before their deadlines. These aspects may provide flexibility for workload management.

The IT workloads at212may include parameter ai(t) that may represent a demand of primary workload i at time t, parameter Bjthat may represent a total capacity demand of secondary workload j, parameter bj(t) that may represent a capacity of secondary workload j at time t, and parameter Ejthat may represent a capacity of secondary workload j at time t. The parameters ai(t), Bj, and Ejmay represent input parameters that receive the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106, and the parameter bj(t) may represent an output parameter that generates output parameter specifications126using the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106.

With respect to the IT workload demand input parameters at204, cooling power demand at214may be derived from IT power demand, e.g., via power usage effectiveness (PUE). IT power demand may include demand from both primary and secondary workloads, i.e., CIT(t)=Σiai(t)+Σjbj(t), where a and b respectively represent primary and secondary workloads. The cooling power demand at214may include parameter f(CIT(t)) that may represent cooling power consumption at time t. The parameter f(CIT(t)) may represent an input parameter that receives the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106.

The power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may optimize the power supply infrastructure size and operation to minimize the total entity cost while meeting specified operational goals by formulating the power supply parameters at202and the IT workload demand parameters at204as a constrained optimization model. For example, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may optimize the power supply infrastructure size and operation as follows:

With respect to Equations (1)-(7), each of the parameters are listed and described inFIG. 2. Further, for Equation (1), Igmay represent the amortized capital cost in $/kW of the entity infrastructure for power from the grid, and for Equation (3), CG may represent a carbon emission objective. With respect to Equations (1)-(7), as shown for Equation (1), the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may optimize the power supply infrastructure size and operation by minimizing the output parameters Cc, fc(t), Cg, cg(t), Ce, die(t), che(t), and bj(t). Specifically, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may minimize the total cost, including the capital and operational expenditures of the power infrastructure. Referring toFIG. 1and Equation (1), the first term may represent the cost of entity power generation118. The second and third terms of Equation (1) may respectively define the capital and operational expenditures of the power grid at120,122, respectively. The fourth and fifth terms of Equation (1) may specify the costs of energy storage at124. With respect to Equation (2), Equation (2) may represent a constraint that states that the total power consumption from IT and cooling should not exceed the total power supply to the entity. Equation (3) may represent a constraint that specifies that the total emissions are equal to or less than the carbon emission goal of the entity. The capacity of each onsite power generator and the grid power may be represented by Equations (4) and (5), respectively. Equation (6) may represent the energy storage model for the entity. Equation (7) may represent the workload constraint for the entity, and may be set to equality for all secondary workload demand to be satisfied. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may accept additional constraints, such as a carbon footprint target, as needed. The optimization provided by the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may be considered jointly convex in Cc, fc(t), Cg, cg(t), Ce, die(t), che(t), and bj(t), and hence may be efficiently solved.

FIG. 3illustrates a flowchart of a method300for power infrastructure sizing and workload management of an entity, corresponding to the example of the power infrastructure sizing and workload management apparatus100whose construction is described in detail above. The method300may be implemented on the power infrastructure sizing and workload management apparatus100with reference toFIG. 1by way of example and not limitation. The method300may be practiced in other apparatus.

Referring toFIG. 3, for the method300, at block302, power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications for an entity may be received. For example, referring toFIG. 1, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102may receive power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications104for an entity.

At block304, the power supply and IT workload demand input parameter specifications may be used for a power infrastructure sizing and workload management model for the entity. For example, referring toFIG. 1, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management modeling module102may utilize the input parameter specifications104for the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106.

At block306, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model may be used to generate power supply and IT workload demand output parameter specifications for the entity to provide optimal power infrastructure sizing for the entity to minimize capital cost of the entity, and IT workload management to minimize operational cost of the entity. For example, referring toFIG. 1, the power infrastructure sizing and workload management model106may be used to generate power supply and IT workload demand output parameter specifications126for the entity.

FIG. 4shows a computer system400that may be used with the examples described herein. The computer system represents a generic platform that includes components that may be in a server or another computer system. The computer system400may be used as a platform for the apparatus100. The computer system400may execute, by a processor or other hardware processing circuit, the methods, functions and other processes described herein. These methods, functions and other processes may be embodied as machine readable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, which may be non-transitory, such as hardware storage devices (e.g., RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), EPROM (erasable, programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable, programmable ROM), hard drives, and flash memory).

The computer system400includes a processor402that may implement or execute machine readable instructions performing some or all of the methods, functions and other processes described herein. Commands and data from the processor402are communicated over a communication bus404. The computer system also includes a main memory406, such as a random access memory (RAM), where the machine readable instructions and data for the processor402may reside during runtime, and a secondary data storage408, which may be non-volatile and stores machine readable instructions and data. The memory and data storage are examples of computer readable mediums. The memory406may include a power infrastructure sizing and workload management module420including machine readable instructions residing in the memory406during runtime and executed by the processor402. The power infrastructure sizing and workload management module420may include the modules102and136of the apparatus shown inFIG. 1.

The computer system400may include an I/O device410, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a display, etc. The computer system may include a network interface412for connecting to a network. Other known electronic components may be added or substituted in the computer system.