Session 5: Data Center Efficiency

No wonder designers are looking for more efficient data centers: the EPA estimates that national energy consumption by servers and data centers could nearly double in another five years to more than 100 billion kWh, representing a $7.4 billion annual electricity cost. Moderator Don Tuite talks to Chris Young of Zilker Labs to get the full story.

Session Abstract: Digital Power has proven its utility in a number of applications over years and continues to offer exciting new opportunities for system wide performance improvement. While the analog versus digital debate may continue for years, Digital Power has a clear and bright future. The purpose of this presentation is to explore the future of Digital Power in Server applications from the perspective of where it can go along the course of its present momentum and, from the perspective of a gap analysis, where Digital Power needs to go. The presentation will begin with a brief review the current use of Digital Power in Server applications. It will then examine the challenges that Digital Power faces in Server applications. Finally, we will look at current trends and where those trends may evolve over the next five years.

Speakers

Chris Young, Chief Technical Officer of Zilker Labs, has over 20 years of experience in the management of research and development of state of the art electronic systems. Most recently, he was one of the founders and vice president of technology at ColdWatt, Inc. Prior to that, he held technical and engineering management positions at leading companies including Dell, Astec Power, Lucent/Bell Labs and Unison Industries. His educational background in both Physics and Engineering gives him the foundation to provide technological vision and engineering leadership on a wide range of issues. He has authored numerous publications and patents in the areas of pulsed power, power control and conversion, and stability analysis. Chris is also a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the EE Department at Texas Tech University and serves on the Technical Advisory Board of Smartspark. Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Texas and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University.