The data center’s high-density computing environment is driving savings through virtualization, which has reduced floor space and power consumption.
The center has been designed so that agencies can house more than 1,000 virtual machines per rack, and are 10 kilowatts per rack — four times the computing power of racks that agencies have in their own data centers, Adrian Farley, chief technology officer and acting director of California’s Office of Technology Services, said during an interview on TechLeader.TV on April 28.
“The FDC also uses EnergyStar-rated blade server technology that will boost physical server density by three times and be 30 percent more energy efficient than standard servers,” according to a blog penned last month by Farley.
Higher-density computing and virtualization has allowed one of the Federated Data Center’s anchor tenants, including the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, to significantly reduce the footprint of its servers.
Joe Panora, the department’s CIO, said his agency has gone from 70 racks, 800 servers and 5,000 square feet in a leased building, to only three cabinets in the Federated Data Center — a footprint literally as wide as his wingspan. This savings has allowed his agency to focus instead on its server management and the quick deployment of applications.
The Federated Data Center is also using “hot aisle/cold aisle,” a technique to more efficiently manage airflow. The separation of hot and cold air reduces carbon emissions by 20 percent as well as lowers operating costs.
The emission of four tons of carbon dioxide is eliminated for every server that’s virtualized, the equivalent to taking one and a half cars off the road.
The Federated Data Center has three anchor tenants so far: the Department of Health Care Services, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Prison Health Care Receivership.
The FDC is part of AB 2408, an initiative to consolidate IT in California.
