IIJ currently operates 15 data centers nationwide as locations for installing the equipment for running our services and hosting customer
IT systems. These data centers are housed in secure buildings featuring power and air conditioning systems with high capacity andhigh reliability for the stable operation of servers, storage, and routers. In the past, it was common for IT systems to be operated inenvironments like this with facilities that are more than sufficient. However, in recent years a new attitude towards the operation of IT
systems has been gaining momentum. Behind this is a new perspective that calls for cost reductions and ecology for IT systems.
Beyond development and construction costs, data center usage fees and daily operating costs also account for a large percentage ofthe cost of IT systems. Reducing these costs is an important component in lowering the TCO (total cost of ownership) for IT systems
as a whole. This trend is particularly evident for the recent hot topic of cloud computing. For cloud computing, there is no need for IT
system users to be conscious of facilities such as data centers. However, data centers still play a crucial role as the infrastructure forsupporting cloud computing. Software and server costs are reduced as services move to the cloud, so the relative cost ratio of data
centers is mounting.
Due to a growing awareness of environmental problems at present, there is a need for IT systems to take ecology into consideration.
Conventional data centers consumed large amounts of power for cooling systems, such as air conditioning to cool the high performanceand high-heat-generating equipment. According to a survey conducted by “The Green Grid,” an organization working to improve data
center efficiency, close to 1.3 times the power consumed by server equipment is consumed by equipment such as air conditioning andlighting that is not directly related to IT systems. This demonstrates that of the power consumed at data centers, less that half is utilized
for its primary purpose. If we can reduce the power used for non-primary elements such as these, we can make significant headway
with regard to energy savings and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Additionally, reducing the power used by data centers lowers themaintenance costs associated with IT systems. More efficient power usage at data centers is needed from this point of view as well.
Given these circumstances, IIJ is working on the following two new technologies for next-generation data centers. The first is modular
data center construction that enables additional equipment to be deployed quickly in response to an increase in demand. This is madepossible by installing data center equipment inside a transportable container instead of the secure buildings that are currently used.
Another technology is the introduction of an outside-air-cooling method for cooling IT equipment such as servers. Outside-air-coolingcan be operated using far less electricity than existing forced cooling methods such as air conditioning, making it a trump card forenergy savings.
However, to take advantage of the merits of these technologies, there is a need to rethink existing operating methods. Data centersconstructed inside a container are more limited in the types of equipment that can be installed compared with conventional buildingtype data centers. Additionally, when a device fails it may be more efficient to simply exchange container units rather than repairing
individual devices. The outside-air-cooling method conserves energy, but its cooling ability is affected by the climate and weather of thesurrounding area. To use this technology in Japan, which has four seasons that bring dramatic changes, advanced control technology
is required. These operating methods and technologies are not yet fully established anywhere in the world.
For this reason, IIJ is carrying out proof-of-concept tests to establish this technology and gain experience with it before beginning fullfledged construction of next-generation data centers. For these tests, we will be constructing an operational IT module (a containerbased data center) with actual servers installed and a cooling module for taking in outside air, and operating them over an extended
period of time. We plan to carry out tests over the period of a year, actually cooling with outside air throughout the four seasons andobserving how much we can reduce power consumption, while building up knowledge regarding IT/cooling module designs that canstand up to real-world operation.
We have already built the equipment for these proof-of-concept tests, and we began operation from February 2010. We have gathereda variety of data since February, as the weather gets steadily warmer. We have identified a number of unexpected problems and design
issues, and we are applying this feedback to our commercial equipment design. There is no doubt that these tests will play a significant
role in establishing this new technology. In the next IIR volume we plan to report on the progress of these proof-of-concept tests anddevelopment towards a commercial service.

Author:Kiyotaka Doumae
Planning Section, Data Center Business Planning and Operations Department, IIJ Service Division

Vol.7

May 2010

27

Internet Topics

Internet Topics: Modular Eco-Data Center Proof-of-Concept Tests