The Green Grid's Technology Roadmap

Last week we had a large volume of news from deals and conferences, and didn't get a chance to write about The Green Grid's announcement of its technology roadmap. The plan outlines a series of studies to develop data and metrics, with the goal of "bringing together industry leaders and end users from critical segments of the data center ecosystem to develop a unified voice around data center efficiency issues."

The Green Grid, a non-profit consortium, outlined three areas of focus and identified key projects in each area:

DATA COLLECTION
Data Center Standards and Metrics Inventory (Q3'07): This study will document existing standards and metrics for energy efficiency, identify coverage gaps and make recommendations for future development.

The Green Grid Metrics: Describing Data Center Power Efficiency (Q3'07): This study will be an update to The Green Grid's existing study on data center efficiency metrics and will look at workload classification through a data center segmentation model.

Operationalizing Energy-Efficiency Data Collection (Q4'07): This study will identify the requirements for collecting and aggregating data center power consumption data.

DATA ASSESSMENT
Data Center Efficiency Baseline Market Study (Q3'07): This study on the current state of the industry will allow The Green Grid to identify key factors driving companies to take action on data center power consumption and the challenges in doing so. Collecting and analyzing this data will help to provide companies with a baseline to compare their own initiatives, goals and performance.

Operational Best Practices (Q4'07): These studies will focus on right-sizing the data center and will outline best practices in the adoption of virtualization and consolidation technologies.

Database for Data Center Performance (Q4'07): The Green Grid will begin development work on a database focused on data center characteristics and performance schema.

TECHNOLOGY PROPOSALS
Initial Technology Roadmap (Q4'07): This roadmap provides an initial assessment of existing and emerging technologies affecting data center efficiency and performance, taking into consideration both return on investment and risk to the end user.

Power Distribution Options for the Data Center Study (Q3'07): This study will look at the qualitative advantages and disadvantages of data center power distribution configurations.

Cooling Options Study (Q4'07): This study will focus on the qualitative advantages and disadvantages of data center cooling architectures.

"Despite the fact that power consumption is one of the most important issues facing IT today, there is a lack of guidelines and resources available for those looking to drive a change," said Lawrence Lamers, director of The Green Grid. "The Green Grid is focused on building the foundation and launching the key technology deliverables required to improve data center energy efficiency