RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - October 7, 2009) - Today, NetApp (
NASDAQ:
NTAP)
will hold a grand opening celebration to showcase its new energy-efficient
dynamic data center located at the NetApp technology center in Research
Triangle Park (RTP). The celebration also marks the 10-year anniversary of
NetApp in the RTP region.
The grand opening ceremony event will be attended by Keith Crisco,
secretary of the North Carolina department of commerce; Tony Caravano,
deputy state director for U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagen; Alexandra Sullivan,
technical development manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY
STAR; and key NetApp executives.
The new facility expands NetApp's engineering and development efforts in
the region, including furthering research initiatives to create and improve
storage efficiency and cloud-enabling technologies. The new dynamic data
center will enable NetApp to consolidate its engineering facilities into a
global dynamic lab (GDL) and provide a highly available and redundant
infrastructure for NetApp's IT operations.
The 132,000-square-foot facility houses a 36,000-square-foot dynamic data
center supporting 2,166 racks of data-processing equipment with a designed
power load of nearly 25mW.
World-Class Energy Efficiency
NetApp's goals for sustainability and reducing data center power
consumption are reflected in the innovative design and construction of its
data center. NetApp estimates that the data center's power usage
effectiveness (PUE)(1) will be 1.2, or 80% more efficient than the average
data center PUE of 2.0(2), which will result in NetApp saving $7.3 million
a year. NetApp's energy efficiency improvements will also result in
reducing CO2 by 93,000 tons a year, which is equivalent to removing 15,400
cars from the road.
Following are key features that will contribute to the RTP data center's
outstanding energy efficiency:
- 74° F average supply air temperature: Using a higher temperature
threshold on supply air (74° F instead of 55° to 60° F) allows NetApp to
dramatically reduce cooling costs.
- Airside economizer: The data center is cooled by using just outside air
(free cooling) 67% of the time during the year.
- Pressure-controlled room: Modulating fans, based on NetApp's
proprietary technology, supply pressure-controlled rooms and regulate the
volume of air to avoid oversupplying air and wasting energy.
- Cold aisle containment: The cold room separates the cold and hot air
streams to protect supply air temperatures from being affected by hot air
returning from the racks.
- Overhead air distribution: Instead of pumping cold air up through the
floors (raised floors), overhead air distribution takes advantage of
cold/hot air buoyancy and eliminates ductwork, reducing the energy needed
for fans.
Storage Efficiency and Cloud Computing
In addition to its energy-efficient facility design, NetApp software will
help dramatically improve data management and storage efficiency in the
data center. The new dynamic data center will leverage the latest
virtualization solutions to build a private cloud environment to provide
virtual access for NetApp engineering labs around the world. The dynamic
data center will also serve as a model for clients interested in building
energy-efficient dynamic data centers and cloud environments for their
enterprise users.
NetApp RTP Receives ENERGY STAR Rating
NetApp's commitment to environmental stewardship and energy savings extends
beyond the dynamic data center. During the ceremony today, the
Environmental Protection Agency will present NetApp with the prestigious
ENERGY STAR for the superior energy efficiency of its RTP office building
2. This signifies that the commercial building's energy performance rates
in the top 25% of facilities nationwide, uses an average of 35% less energy
than typical buildings, and releases 35% less carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. Building 2 has a rating of 95, which places it in the top 5% in
terms of energy performance for facilities nationwide. For more information
about ENERGY STAR, visit
www.energystar.gov.
10-Year Anniversary
NetApp began operations in the RTP in 1999 and currently employs 987
employees in the region. The NetApp RTP operations include product research
and development and a 24x7 global service and support center.
About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that
accelerate business breakthroughs and deliver outstanding cost efficiency.
Discover NetApp's passion for helping companies around the world go
further, faster at
www.netapp.com.
(1) Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a metric, established by
The Green Grid, used to determine
the energy efficiency of a data center. PUE is determined by dividing the
amount of power entering a data center by the power used to run the
computer infrastructure within it. PUE is therefore expressed as a ratio,
with overall efficiency improving as the quotient decreases toward 1. A
value of 1.00 would indicate 100% efficiency: all energy going into the
data center is used to power the computer equipment and nothing else.
(2) Based on observed energy efficiency trends from 2007-2011. Report to
Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency, Public Law 109-431,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Program, August 2, 2007.
NetApp, the NetApp logo, and Go further, faster are trademarks or
registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other
countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.
Contact Information: Press Contact
NetApp
David Naumann
(408) 822-6551
David.Naumann@netapp.com