Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1386104
30 I ICT TODAY Cold Aisle Return Air Plenum Raised Floor Hot Aisle Hot Aisle The Data Center Cabinet, Powered by Intelligence With cabinet densities averaging 9 to 11 kW and rising, complexities abound. As the last leg of the power chain, intelligent rack PDUs provide data center managers with the most granular information about individual equip- ment (e.g., voltage, current, power, energy usage, thresh- olds, temperature and humidity values) when integrated with environmental monitoring sensors. Simply stated, the intelligent rack PDU is the one piece of hardware that actively and remotely helps identify potential equipment problems before they result in downtime. Modern rack PDUs have also evolved to provide intelligent power monitoring and control at the outlet (device) level, two features that became crucial in 2020 when few if any businesses had a tried and true "no person anywhere" mitigation plan (Figure 4). Tasks that used to require hands-on labor can now be performed remotely from a secure software interface. For example, with remote outlet-level monitoring, data center managers can get detailed visibility into how much power each piece of equipment is drawing and how much power capacity they will have during peak hours. Remote outlet-level control allows equipment to be turned on and off and rebooted whenever needed, eliminating the need to send regular remote-hands maintenance. Additionally, it is important to consider the excep- tionally high temperatures within a fully-loaded data center cabinet. In these instances, a PDU with high ambient temperature ratings will provide the peace of mind that it will remain operational even in more extreme conditions (Figure 5). When it comes to intelligence and addressing the rack space, it is also important to consider the new, more advanced equipment—the types being developed for artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time, data-crunching applications—which will unequivocally produce more heat within the cabinet. FIGURE 4: An example of a cabinet integrated with intelligent rack PDU. FIGURE 5: PDUs are exposed to the highest ambient air temperatures. Choose a PDU with the highest temperature rating possible.