In late 2011, ABB and development partner IO announced that they would work together to deliver DC-powered data center modules, and Automation & Power World marks the global unveiling of their joint efforts.
DC-powered technology is being increasingly adopted for electrical distribution in data centers because it reduces power conversion losses offers improved energy efficiency, reduces complexity and requires less space. All of these combine to decrease equipment, installation and maintenance costs for customers.
"It is our goal at ABB to help our customers become more energy efficient through smart and sustainable technologies. For this reason, we are pursuing the further development of DC power in many contemporary applications such as electric vehicle charging, renewable energy, energy storage and data centers where substantial economic and environmental benefits can be realized," said Tarak Mehta, head of ABB's Low Voltage Products division.
The development underlines ABB's goal to expand DC-power applications. ABB recently designed and installed an advanced DC-power distribution system for green.ch, one of the information and communications technology service providers in Switzerland. As of May 2011, ABB holds a majority interest in Validus DC Systems, a provider of DC power infrastructure equipment.
“ABB has a long heritage in DC-powered technologies since pioneering high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission in the 1950s,” said Tarak Mehta, head of ABB’s Low Voltage Products division. “We are pursuing the development of DC power in many contemporary applications such as electric vehicle charging, renewable energy, energy storage and data centers where substantial economic and environmental benefits can be realized.”
The project underlines ABB’s goal to expand DC-power applications. ABB recently announced it will design and install an advanced DC-power distribution system for green.ch, one of the top information and communications technology service providers in Switzerland. In May 2011, ABB gained a controlling interest in Validus DC Systems, a leading provider of DC power infrastructure equipment.
Modular data centers use standardized configurations that are packaged together and portable, and can be manufactured and deployed more rapidly than traditional data center build-outs. This new module expands IO’s modular products to include a DC-power option supplied by ABB. Similar to IO’s AC-power distribution network (PDN), the new DC-powered module is manufactured by IO using the IO Anywhere standards-based hardware and software architecture. The AC- and DC-powered modules are managed and optimized by IO OS, the first data center operating system.
”The data center has always been DC powered; every device in the data center uses DC power inside,” said George D. Slessman, CEO of IO. “By leveraging the intelligent control of IO OS and IO’s modular data center platform, we can now deliver the entire data center from the source on DC power, while providing flexibility to deliver AC power where and when needed.”
