Power efficient data center

• US 7,961,463 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Belady, Christian L., James, Sean M., Hamilton, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi; Jayprakash N
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, COURTNEY L
• Application Number:
  US12/060,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 361/694, 361/695, 361/699, 361/679.33, 361/679.47, 361/690, 361/692, 361/697, 454/184
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1497 Rooms for data centers; Shipping containers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

An illustrative power-efficient data center is described for operating in an uncontrolled environment in one scenario. The data center includes an air moving system that applies unconditioned air to its resource items. The resource items are stripped down to provide a substantially minimum set of components for performing the data center'"'"'s core functions. Various illustrative techniques for managing a power-efficient data center are also described.

Claims

1. A power-efficient data center containing at least one resource item, comprising:

the at least one resource item, said at least one resource item including a housing having an air-intake portion and an air-output portion, said at least one resource item including a group of data processing modules within the housing, the data processing modules comprising components to perform core functions of the data processing modules; and

an air moving system of the data center that is outside the at least one resource item, the air moving system propelling a flow of air mixture that circulates within the data center, the flow of air mixture having a heated component and a cooled component, the flow of air mixture circulating within the data center by;

a portion of the heated component mixing with ambient unconditioned air to form the cooled component, the ambient unconditioned air having been drawn into the data center by the flow of air mixture,

the cooled component flowing through the resource item via the air-intake portion and the air-output portion thereby gaining heat from the data processing modules and becoming the heated component, and

after flowing through the resource item, the heated component flowing to a vent, the air moving system including the vent, wherein the vent receives the heated component and redirects the portion of the heated component to flow toward the air-intake portion to be mixed with the ambient unconditioned air.

2. The power-efficient data center of claim 1, wherein the air moving system includes at least one central fan that propels the air mixture flow.

3. The power-efficient data center of claim 2, wherein at least one of the group of data processing modules does not have an individual local fan.

4. The power-efficient data center of claim 1, wherein the venting system includes at least one valve that redirects the portion of the heated component.

5. The power-efficient data center of claim 1, wherein the venting system includes at least one valve that controls an amount of the ambient unconditioned air that is mixed with the portion of the heated component.

6. A power-efficient data center, comprising:

an enclosure that has an out-of-doors outer surface;

at least one resource item housed within the enclosure,

said at least one resource item including a group of data processing modules, the data processing modules comprising components to perform core computing functions of the data processing modules, wherein the data processing modules and the resource item do not comprise active cooling systems; and

an air moving system outside the resource item, the air moving system moving a flow of air comprised of ambient unconditioned air that flows from outdoors and into the enclosure, the flow of ambient unconditioned air then flows through the enclosure and through the resource item whereby the data processing modules are cooled by unconditioned air from outdoors as the air is heated, a first portion, the heated air then flowing out of the enclosure, wherein said at least one resource item includes an air-intake portion and an air-output portion, and wherein the air moving system includes a vent that is configured to redirect a second portion of the heated air expelled from the air-output portion of said at least one resource item to the air-intake portion of said at least one resource item, so that, at the air-intake portion, the heated air mixes with the flow of the ambient unconditioned air.

7. The power-efficient data center of claim 6, wherein said at least one resource item includes:

a first arrangement of resource items including an air-intake portion and an air output-portion; and

a second arrangement of resource items including an air-intake portion and an air-output portion,

wherein a gap separates the first arrangement of resource items from the second arrangement of resource items.

8. The power-efficient data center of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one central fan for removing air from the gap, wherein the air-intake portion of the first arrangement of resource items receives the ambient air external to the power-efficient data center and passes the ambient air in an unconditioned state to the resource items of the first arrangement of resource items,

wherein the air-intake portion of the second arrangement receives the ambient air external to the power-efficient data center and passes the ambient air in an unconditioned state to the resource items of the second arrangement, and

wherein both the first arrangement of resource items and the second arrangement of resource items direct heated air to the gap between the first arrangement of resource items and the second arrangement of resource items.

9. The power-efficient data center of claim 8, wherein said at least one central fan is positioned over the gap between the first arrangement of resource items and the second arrangement of resource items.

10. The power-efficient data center of claim 6, wherein said at least one resource item comprises a plurality of resource items that form a data center unit, and wherein the power-efficient data center comprises at least two data center units.

11. The power-efficient data center of claim 10, wherein said at least two data center units are arranged laterally with respect to each other in a layer of data center units.

12. The power-efficient data center of claim 10, wherein said at least two data center units are arranged vertically with respect to each other to provide at least two layers of data center units.

13. The power-efficient data center of claim 10, wherein said at least two data center units form a structure with an outer surface and a common chimney, wherein the air moving system is configured to move the ambient air external to the power-efficient data center from the outer surface through said at least two data center units, and then into the common chimney.

14. The power-efficient data enter of claim 13, wherein the common chimney includes at least one central fan for facilitating the removal of heated air from the common chimney, wherein said at least two data centers each omit the use of individual local fans.

15. The power-efficient data center of claim 6, wherein at least one of the data processing modules omits one or more of the below-listed features:

an individual local fan;

a chassis structure;

a power conditioning mechanism;

diagnostic functionality;

or

service-related functionality for accommodating the servicing of components on said at least one data processing module.

16. The power-efficient data center of claim 6, wherein said at least one resource item receives power from one or more of the below-listed sources:

a turbine operated power source;

a fuel cell power source;

a photovoltaic power source;

a nuclear-operated power source;

a wind-operated power source;

or

a wave-operated power source.

17. A data center comprising:

a plurality of cabinets housed by the data center, each cabinet housing a plurality of data processing modules, each data processing module comprising a card including at least a processor;

a housing of the data center enclosing the plurality of resource items, the housing shielding the cabinets from weather exposure; and

an air propulsion system that propels an air flow, thus heated, within the data center, wherein the air flow draws outdoors ambient air from the atmosphere into the housing to become a component of the air flow that flows through the cabinets and over the data modules therein thereby gaining heat from the data processing modules while cooling the data processing modules, the heated air flow at least partly flowing outside of the housing to the outdoors atmosphere after passing through the cabinets and partly continuing to flow within the housing, wherein the outdoors ambient air from the atmosphere enters the housing and becomes part of the air flow without having been conditioned by an air conditioning unit.

18. A data center according to claim 17, wherein cabinets and the data processing modules lack mechanical air flow components and the air flow flows through the data center and through the cabinets substantially only as a result of the propelling by the air propulsion system.

19. A data center according to claim 17, wherein the data center has structural components that channel the outdoors ambient air to the cabinets and from the cabinets to an exit vent of the data center from which the heated air flow exits the data center to the atmosphere.

20. A data center according to claim 17 wherein the data center comprises floors within the enclosure and the data center has structural components that cause the air flow to flow horizontally between the floors and horizontally through the cabinets.

21. A data center according to claim 17 wherein the housing comprises a building.