Even busy servers don't have to be energy hogs

Climate Wire reports that Google has recently redesigned its server architecture to be even more energy efficient and low-carbon footprint.

The servers, built in-house, feature a “close-coupled” cooling system that reduces the amount of electricity needed to control server-generated heat.

The Google engineers who designed the servers say their system has helped cut cooling requirements by 85 per cent, as well as reduce power distribution and backup losses by 82 per cent.

Google started the server redesign in 2003.

The company says its results have great implications for the IT industry, which has garnered a reputation as a voracious consumer of energy: per computer rack, energy use was 2 kilowatts in 2000. By next year, that figure is expected to climb to 30 kilowatts.