Survey: Rack Density Heading Higher

Many new data centers will be built to support power densities of between 10 kW and 20 kW per rack, significantly higher than the 7.4 kW average supported by current facilities, according to a new survey of data center operators released today by Emerson Network Power (EMR). Among the reasons cited for designing for higher density data centers were the need to save facility space, support blade servers and reduce energy costs.

The findings were among the data points from Emerson's bi-annual survey of its Data Center Users Group (DCUG), which polls more than 120 data center, facility and IT managers shared information about future plans for their data centers. The survey results were previewed earlier this month during the two-day DCUG spring conference in Washington, D.C.

The survey revealed that the current economic environment is having an effect on data center operations. Sixty one percent of respondents in the DCUG survey said they had been forced to cut their budgets' while 35 percent said they were forced to delay new data center builds or expansion projects.

Not surprisingly, energy efficiency continued to be a front-of-mind issue for most data center managers, with 47 percent saying it was "one of their top concerns." A surprisingly close second was adequate monitoring, which was a top concern for 46 percent of respondents.  

See Emerson's announcement for additional details from the survey.