Sun Microsystems Finishes Super Efficient Datacenter

Sun Microsystems' Broomfield, Colorado datacenter is completed, and it shows of some fantastic features the allow it to save energy, water, and CO2 in big ways.

The new Broomfield datacenter is innovatively designed to reduce energy consumption as well as have more efficient cooling systems. The company will save over $1 million in electricity costs and 11,000 tons of CO2 per year.

Highlights include:

· Greater Space Efficiency: A scalable, modular datacenter based on the Sun Pod Architecture led to a 66 percent footprint compression, by reducing 496,000 square feet from the former StorageTek campus in Louisville, Colo. to 126,000 square feet

· Reduced Electrical Consumption: By 1 million kWh per month, enough to power 1,000 homes in Colorado

· Reduced Raised Floor Datacenter Space: From 165,000 square feet to less than 700 square feet of raised floor datacenter space, representing a $4M cost avoidance

· Enhanced Scalability: Incorporated 7 MW of capacity that scales up to 40% higher without major construction

· Superior Cooling: The world's first and largest installation of Liebert advanced XD™ cooling system with dynamic cooling controls capable of supporting rack loads up to 30kW and a chiller system 24% more efficient than ASHRAE standards

· Greener Architecture: Including flywheel uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that eliminates all lead and chemicals waste by removing the need for batteries, and non-chemical water treatment system, saving water and reducing chemical pollution

· Overall Excellence: Recognized with two Ace awards for Project of the Year from the Associated Contractors of Colorado, presented for excellence in design, execution, complexity and environmental application

Thanks to the improvements, Sun has achieved 60 percent datacenter square footage compression globally, decreasing the company's operating expenses by 30 percent in the Bay Area alone during the last two years. In October 2008, Sun announced the reduction of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from US operations by 23 percent, surpassing its goal five years early. The Broomfield datacenter is a major contributing factor in Sun's ability to reach this goal, comprising nearly 6% of that goal.