Green Enterprise Class Data Center from Hitachi Data Systems

Breaking new ground in data center design and development, Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, has announced a eco-friendly and power-efficient data center design which achieves a 1.6 PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) rating by The Green Grid. This is the lowest power usage index of any data center in its class. Located in Yokohama, Japan, the new state-of-the-art data center brings together the collective product innovations of the Hitachi Information & Technology Systems Group (ITSG) companies including industry-leading storage systems, server and networking equipment. This sophisticated architecture is designed to offer the highest levels of energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent, while also lowering IT management costs.

Optimized to deliver even greater power efficiencies, the facility also features cutting-edge products such as Thermal hydraulic cooling devices, uninterruptible power supply systems and highly advanced power supply converters which will work in concert to contribute significant power, cooling and space benefits throughout. Leading-edge patented Hitachi Finger Vein authentication and other RFID technologies have also been integrated into the facility for state-of-the-art security.

"Within the IT industry, the Wikibon community believes that Hitachi has the most comprehensive and fully implemented corporate green plan in place," says David Vellante, president and CEO of IT Centrix and co-founder of the Wikibon Project. "Their progress on its emission neutral strategy is impressive and genuine. Initiatives such as the collaboration of various Hitachi groups for a new datacenter design in Yokohama underscore the firm’s commitment and are great drivers for change. Within storage the USP V controller re-designs and the implementation of virtualization, thin provisioning and support for external devices that spin down, have helped improve utilization and reduce power consumption by 63% over previous generations, a substantial milestone that sets an example of leadership for the industry."

Environmental issues continue to escalate IT budget discussions, impact data center designs, and shape corporate social responsibility. The new data center marks another chief milestone in support of Hitachi’s Harmonious Green Plan and Project CoolCenter50 corporate initiatives which are aimed at reducing 330,000 tons of carbon emissions and cutting down power consumption by as much as 50 percent by 2012. It is the company’s charter to apply these targets to the product development process across the entire IT solutions portfolio—chief among which include Hitachi Data Systems’ services-oriented storage solutions.

“In today’s climate, we have found that the cost of energy and power has quickly emerged as a growing concern, driving companies to take a deeper look at the efficiency of their data centers,” said Hu Yoshida, vice president and CTO, Hitachi Data Systems. “IT organizations need to take a holistic approach and carefully examine how every facet of their data center can play a role in improving their environmental impact—and lowering escalating power consumption levels. By leveraging Hitachi green technology, this breakthrough data center architecture provides a best practices approach for driving better efficiencies and utilization in customer environments now and in the future.”