Corp/Univ Project to Research Green Energy for Data Centers

Chip maker AMD says it will take part with HP, Clarkson University, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in a project researching the challenge of channeling renewable energy to data centers. Because wind and solar energy are intermittent power sources, the study will also seek ways to automatically shift a computing load between data centers and maintain reliability.

Engineers at AMD developed the research proposal with Clarkson University. In the first phase of the project, Clarkson students will begin experimentation on effectively managing data through a distributed network based on renewable energy.

The second phase of the project plans to incorporate hardware elements from HP and AMD. HP will offer its Performance Optimized Datacenter (POD) that uses the AMD’s Opteron processor, which AMD says is designed for energy efficiency and cloud computing.

“The distributed computing model of the cloud parallels the distributed power-generation model of solar and wind energy,” says Alan Lee, AMD’s corporate vice president for research. “Directing power to data centers from these emerging renewable energy resources without relying on a large-scale, traditional electrical grid is a key challenge.”

Funding is provided by NYSERDA and private sources. One of NYSERDA’s objectives is to encourage the introduction and adoption of advanced technologies that help New Yorkers plan for and respond to uncertainties in the energy markets.

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Photo: kosheahan/Flickr

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