Begins construction on data center expansion to accommodate upto 10,000 servers.

The Planet, a privately held dedicated hosting company, today announced the expansion of its Dallas D6 data center. The company states that the addition will add 12,000 square feet to the company's operations, bringing its total data center footprint to 167,000 square feet. It expects the new data center to open in November.

The company adds that the new space will feature an energy-efficient design that utilizes improved measures to completely separate hot and cold air. It expects to improve the data center's "coefficient of efficiency" to approximately 1.5. It explains that the coefficient of efficiency is an EPA- and Uptime Institute-recognized measurement of the total power necessary to operate a data center divided by its critical power, which is the energy required to operate its computers. An "ideal" ranking is 1.6, it adds.

It further explains that the enhanced energy-efficient measures include extending the returns of the computer room air conditioning units through the ceiling and utilizing the space above the ceiling as a return air path. By using CPI ducted exhaust cabinets in the new phase, it says that it is taking the next steps beyond traditional "hot aisle-cold aisle" setups to completely isolate the hot and cold air in the data center.

"As energy costs continue to climb, operating our data centers at peak performance is absolutely critical, both to our company and to our customers," said The Planet's Vice President of Facilities Jeff Lowenberg.  "Our goal is to use best practices and a practical approach to optimize our operations."