ARMONK, NY — As part of a study of Toyota Motor Sales' 20,000 square foot data center over five months, using IBM measurement and management technologies cut cooling needs by 30 percent and resulted in smarter energy use in the facility.

IBM announced the results of the collaboration today, which took place over the course of five months in the automaker's Torrance, Calif., data center.

The two companies put IBM's Measurement and Management Technologies tool to work in the data center, measuring and managing the energy used in the facility, and highlighting areas where energy efficiency could be increased and overall energy use decreased.

As a result of the measurement tool, Toyota and IBM were able to pinpoint hot spots in the data center and reshuffle air flow and cooling resources to cool the hot spots without increasing the overall temperature of the data center.

By the end of the pilot, Toyota was able to turn off two of six air conditioning units while still maintaining ideal data center temperatures. The project has cut the energy used in Toyota's facility by at least 10 percent, according to Southern California Edison, the firm's electric utility.

"As environmental concerns merge with cost reductions efforts, innovative companies across all industries are looking to have more visibility and control," Rich Lechner, IBM's Vice President of Energy and Environment, said in a statement. "This data center project is an example of how companies can reduce costs and become more efficient through smarter energy management."

Southern California Edison has begun taking the results of the project and developing ways to spread the IBM technology behind it to more of its customers.