WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite the daunting challenge of developing a performance-based rating system for servers, the EPA plans to have a phase-one version of the new Energy Star standards ready by year's end.
The development of the new
Enterprise Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency rating has been complicated by the sheer number of applications servers are used for, from file sharing to search queries to application management. Each application type has different a different profile of energy use, so creating a single rating for varying uses is a time-consuming process.
"This server program is one of the most complicated we've tried to deal with," Arthur Howard, a technical consultant to the Energy Star program,
told CIO Magazine.
Eventually, the rating will measure energy use at peak demand, but for the sake of getting an Energy Star rating underway, the EPA will first release a Tier 1 standard, which will measure two factors of overall energy use: the efficiency of the server's power supply and its energy consumption while idle.
The server specification has been in the works for some time:
more than two years ago, the EPA met with key leaders in the tech industry to create a working group for the new standard; and earlier this year the EPA
released its draft specifications for comment from manufacturers.
Part of the delay for releasing the standard comes from industry itself, according to some analysts. In addition to the multi-faceted uses of server technology, companies that will be affected by the new standard are hesitant to sign on to something that their own products might not comply with.
But as a work in progress, the EPA expects to unveil the new Tier 1 standards this year, and will be working to develop a "holistic" method of measuring energy use for servers across categories. Similar to Energy Star ratings for other product types, the bar will be continually raised to spur innovation and improvements, while making sure that products bearing the logo meet efficiency standards.
