HPQ: HP BladeSystem Reduces Data Center Thermal Footprint

HP today announced benchmark results confirming the HP BladeSystem c-Class uses up to 27 percent less power than the IBM BladeCenter-H in similar configurations that reflect real-world customer usage of blade server environments.(1)

The results derive from a week-long study conducted by Sine Nomine Associates of Ashburn, Va., which examined the overall power consumption and external airflow requirements of a variety of blade server and 1U rack server configurations in a typical data center environment experiencing light to heavy use.

The documented and publicly available results demonstrate that the HP BladeSystem c-Class and its zoned cooling properties not only lower power usage through efficient power distribution but also optimize airflow, which is a significant component in keeping data centers cool. In fact, the benchmark study shows the HP BladeSystem c-Class requires 60 percent less airflow than the IBM BladeCenter-H.

HP, the new industry leader in factory revenues and units shipped for blade servers,(2) features HP Thermal Logic technology in its BladeSystem enclosure to offer customers reduced power and cooling loads right out of the box.

“Power and cooling are serious issues for customers,” said Mark Potter, vice president, BladeSystem Division, HP. “Sine Nomine took an objective look at this real-world customer problem and the test results show what we already knew: HP BladeSystem c-Class featuring Thermal Logic is the clear choice for customers addressing their power and cooling challenges.”

HP offers broad power and cooling portfolio

Recent industry studies reveal that data center power density has increased more than tenfold in the last 10 years and that, in some cases, cooling represents upwards of 70 percent of the total data center power spend for customers.(3) These costs are driven by the data center power requirements and the cubic feet per minute of cooling airflow.

While some vendors focus on single aspects of the data center power and cooling problem, HP takes a holistic approach to synchronize power efficiency across multiple elements. Systems taking advantage of this approach include the HP BladeSystem c-Class and the recently announced data center-wide HP Dynamic Smart Cooling solution.

Additionally, HP has a large patent portfolio covering advances in power and cooling technology in the past 10 years. HP continues to address power efficiency issues across the data center by introducing new technology solutions to meet the needs of its customers, particularly those building next-generation data centers. Customers today benefit from HP Thermal Logic featuring HP Active Cool Fans and Dynamic Power Saver, HP Dynamic Smart Cooling, HP Modular Cooling System, HP Power Regulator and HP Insight Power Manager.

Energy efficiency has been a key aspect of HP’s environmental strategy since 1992. The company offers a full range of energy-efficient products and enterprise solutions that help customers save money while reducing environmental impact.

The full version of the Sine Nomine study is available at www.hp.com/go/bladepowerreport More information on HP power and cooling technologies for businesses is available at www.hp.com/go/powerandcooling More information on Sine Nomine is available at www.sinenomine.net





(1) Sine Nomine Associates, “A Comparison of HP BladeSystem c-Class with HP Thermal Logic to Competitive Systems,” Feb. 2, 2007.
(2) IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, February 2007.
(3) Malone, C., Belady, C. “Metrics to characterize Data Center & IT Equipment Energy Use,” Proceedings of 2006 Digital Power Forum, Richardson, Texas, September 2006.