50% of current data centers will have insufficient power to meet the demands of high-density equipment by 2008.

Gartner, Inc, a technology provider, yesterday announced that by 2008, 50% of current data centers will have insufficient power and cooling capacity to meet the demands of high-density equipment.

Traditionall,y the power required for non-IT equipment in the data center represented about 60% of total annual energy consumption. As power requirements continue to grow, energy costs will emerge as the second highest operating cost in 70% of worldwide data center facilities by 2009.

Gartner recommends that data center managers take a holistic approach in planning, designing and laying out the data center to optimize power and cooling capacity. This should include looking at all the variables from site location to building type, building systems, rack configuration, equipment deployment, and airflow dynamics must be integrated and optimized, claims the company.

"With the advent of high density computer equipment such as blade servers, many data centers have maxed out their power and cooling capacity," said Michael A. Bell, Research Vice President for Gartner. "It's now possible to pack racks with equipment requiring 30,000 watts per rack or more in connected load. This compares to only 2,000-3,000 watts per rack a few years ago."