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IBM unveils next generation of PowerExecutive energy management technology to extend leadership in energy efficient computing
IBM BladeCenter systems use up to 24 percent less energy than the HP BladeSystem c-Class. As energy prices rise to nearly 15 cents per kilowatt hour in New York City, 21 cents per kilowatt hour in Tokyo and up to 23 cents per kilowatt hour in London, businesses can drastically reduce energy consumption and energy-related expenditure depending on the type of systems deployed in their data centers. Based on internal IBM testing, the AMD™ Opteron™ LS21 for IBM BladeCenter blade uses up to 24 percent less energy than the comparable HP BladeSystem c-Class AMD Opteron-based blade (BL465c) IBM BladeCenter HS21 Intel® Xeon® processor-based blade uses up to 19 percent less energy than the comparable HP BladeSystem c-Class Intel Xeon processor-based blade (BL460c). 
Comparisons are based on systems using the same dual-core Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron microprocessors. According to a 2006 report by the Robert Frances Group, across industry, the average utilization of most processors in the data center is between 15-20 percent. Therefore, managing a server at its least productive state becomes critical to managing the issue of energy consumption in the datacenter. Key IBM innovations that set the BladeCenter architecture apart include:
| | A shared power infrastructure with up to 90 percent energy-efficient power supplies able to reach peak efficiency even under small load. |
| | IBM Calibrated Vector Cooling™ technology to allow dual paths of air to each component to improve uptime and longevity while also reducing wasteful air movement. |
| | Energy-efficient power supplies (which are up to 90 percent efficient) saving as much as 28 percent in electrical usage over many commonly available power supplies (which are often only 60 to 70 percent efficient). |
| | A shared cooling approach that utilizes high-efficiency blowers can consume up to 60 percent less power than the newest design in the HP c-Class, based on internal IBM testing. |
 These smarter power and cooling architectures, combined with smart use of energy efficient components, such as low voltage processors, allow IBM users to extract the most performance from every kilowatt. “This is a big competitive advantage in a product segment where energy efficiency is perhaps the chief consideration,” said Doug Balog, vice president and business line executive, IBM BladeCenter. “In an environment where the cost of operating a system can be approaching the cost of acquiring the hardware, HP has delivered a new system that is substantially less efficient in its use of power.” The power of compability
Unlike the blade servers available for HP's c-Class chassis, which are not backward compatible with HP's older blade chassis, IBM’s high-density modular blade server is designed to support the entire family of BladeCenter chassis. This means that when clients need to upgrade, they don't have to take apart their foundation and reinvest in infrastructure each time technology changes. Instead, they can add a blade or new storage functionality as their needs change or as new technology arrives. HP is on its third system redesign in five years, while IBM BladeCenter is still based on its original, innovative and efficient design. Track, monitor, manage your power
With second-generation IBM PowerExecutive™, an industry-first energy management technology, clients can cap the amount of power used by a single server or groups of servers to optimize energy use and application performance. PowerExecutive, an extension to IBM Director systems management software, allows clients to "meter" actual power usage and trend data for any single physical system or group of systems. Today, the label rating on the back of a server is the only guide that IT managers have when planning for power and cooling capacity for their data center. IT managers are often forced to resort to an 80 percent rule to safely estimate power consumption based on the label rating, which means they may over budget energy requirements. IBM PowerExecutive allows these IT managers to see the difference between their power budget and actual power usage, enabling them to optimize power consumption and stretch their budgets over time. Putting a cap on the systems power use, based on the workload and business trends over time, allows IT managers to safely limit the amount of energy draw from the server, without sacrificing performance or productivity, or adding servers to the existing infrastructure. “Better systems and information leads to better decisions aimed at maximizing business performance. Whether delivering superior design innovation or tools to more accurately plan, monitor and control power consumption to meet business expectations, IBM helps clients dramatically improve power utilization and reduce energy costs for a significant competitive advantage,” said Balog.
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