White Paper

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Summary
With data center managers struggling to increase efficiency while maintaining or
improving availability, every system in the data center is being evaluated in terms of its
impact on these two critical requirements. The power system has proven to be one of
the more difficult systems to optimize because efficiency and availability are often in
conflict; the most efficient approach to critical power is rarely the most reliable.
One solution to power system optimization that deserves serious consideration is DC
power. Since utility AC power must ultimately be converted to DC for use by IT system
components and because stored energy systems (batteries, flywheel, etc.) provide DC
power for backup, a DC power architecture requires fewer total conversions from grid to
chip, creating the opportunity to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
A data center-optimized, row-based DC power protection system is now available to help
data center operators take advantage of that opportunity. This system, combined with
the availability of 48V DC-powered IT equipment from major manufacturers, makes DC
power an ideal solution for small and midsize data centers seeking to optimize efficiency,
reliability and scalability. Other applications include high-density equipment rows with a
consistent footprint and pod-based data centers.
As the leading provider of AC and DC power systems, Emerson Network Power is uniquely
positioned to help organizations evaluate the suitability of DC power and determine
whether a row-based DC infrastructure is appropriate for a given application.