Rittal Unveils 12V And 48V OCP Racks

Rittal Unveils 12V and 48V DC Open Compute Project Racks v1.jpg

Members of the Facebook-initiated Open Compute Project (OCP) have teamed up to tackle a variety of issues – including curbing the power consumption of large IT infrastructures. To this end, they share innovative designs for data centre products. Against this background, Rittal is unveiling its 12V and 48V DC OCP racks at CeBIT 2017 in Hanover, Germany. The enterprise will also be showcasing its Open19 rack at its booth in hall 4. Both systems leverage direct current for greater energy efficiency. They also feature a standardised, modular configuration, accelerating time-to-market – and are scalable, enhancing flexibility.

Some three per cent of global electricity output is currently expended on data centres – one of the fastest growing consumers of power, with an expanding carbon footprint. According to the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), ICT’s contribution to carbon dioxide emissions is forecast to rise from 1.3 per cent in 2002 to 2.3 percent in 2020. A further cause for concern: the operating costs of large data centres are, to a large extent, tied to power consumption.

The Open Compute Project was launched in 2011 to address these challenges. It aims to make data centres less expensive and more efficient.

Direct current for greater energy efficiency

To this end, OCP developed a new, standardised design framework for cost-effective, highly efficient IT platforms. This is ushering in a new generation of data centres. Active components in IT racks no longer require their own, dedicated mains adapter; instead, they are powered by direct current (DC) – supplied via bus bars integrated into the racks themselves. This minimises the power losses associated with conversion. Furthermore, the IT components can be operated at especially high temperatures, requiring less cooling.

“Rittal has been active in the Open Compute community for many years, and plays an important role in driving innovation – lowering power consumption to the benefit of our customers and the environment,” emphasises Jason Rylands, Global Director, Data Centre and Open Compute Solutions at Rittal.

The Rittal 12 V and 48 V DC OCP racks can be deployed rapidly. 600mm wide, the racks’ 21" interior provides ample space for servers, switches and storage.

Higher operating temperatures and lower costs

OCP design specifications significantly reduce costs for climate control. Electricity consumption is cut by employing specialised hardware designed to cope with operating temperatures higher than those recommended by ASHRAE – the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. They require less cooling, and therefore less power.

Up to 12 kW can be dissipated per rack of the 12 V OCP model – and even more with the 48 V version. Both racks have a small footprint , contributing to a highly compact, highly efficient data centre.

Standardisation accelerates time-to-market

A further advantage of the racks’ innovative design is that they are standardised, yet configurable and scalable. This allows businesses to quickly implement or expand data centre solutions.

A further option: Open19 rack

The Rittal Open19 rack is an additional cost-effective solution based on established 19" technology. It will be showcased at CeBIT in Rittal’s TS IT rack. The design of the Open19 also includes a DC power supply for servers. However, unlike the DC OCP racks, the electricity is not distributed via a central bus bar at the rear of the unit – but via a special cable harness connected to the power shelves.

Rittal is presenting its new solutions and services at its booth B34 in hall 4 at CeBIT, from 20 to 24 March 2017. Further information is available at www.cebit.de and on the Rittal website: www.rittal.de/cebit2017.


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