It's all about efficiency, why, who has it, how to get it
Our approach, look at these categories, some overlap, but it's a place to start and will evolve over time
Data Center Assessment
This is an overlooked but vitally important category. The coming new world of data center computing is going to be more expensive, move faster, and be, well, less forgiving. You're going to have to wring out every bit of waste, whether it's system cycles, floor space, or energy. But before you can do this, you have to know what's going on, right?
If you don't run these types of assessments or don't do it often, I think you're going to be surprised at the results. It will be chock full of surprises for sure, but will also show you ways you can make changes to, for example, free up systems, reduce power draw, and make room for the new stuff you'll probably need. Click here for further discussion and some tools you might want to use to get started.
Cooling
The era of data center air cooling is over. Overstatement? No, I don't think so. AI is a new and computationally intense workload that requires high performance systems. These systems generate a LOT of heat, and as AI is folded into nearly every application, data centers are going to have to embrace these new boxes and, as a result, find a way to deal with heat loads that will overwhelm their traditional air cooling.
In this section, we explain why liquid cooling is becoming the new go to for data centers small and large. We will lay out the various technologies, how they work, and discuss the benefits from liquid cooling vs. air, the $$ savings are significant. We also provide a vendor guide so you can see who plays in this market. Click here to get the lowdown.
System OEMs/Integrators
System OEMs have a tough job. They have to strike the 'just right' balance between performance, reliability, thermals, energy efficiency, and form factor - at a competitive price. OEMs sell directly to large customers, but often work with integrators on both large and small deals.
System integrators typically focus on vertical markets or particular types of workloads. They partner with a wide variety of OEMs so they can pick and choose solution components to build what they hope is the perfect solution.
Click here for a deeper discussion of OEMs and integrators plus a list of the leading players.
System Components
A system is the sum of its parts and parts matter, right? Shoe horning a diesel engine into a Lamborghini to save money on fuel and increase reliability may pencil out on paper, but it destroys the Lamborghini's ability to be a Lambo. Same deal if you spec out a powerful monster of an AI training cluster and then saddle it with a slow Ethernet interconnect or connect it to your old creaky SAN.
In this section, we're going to explain and discuss some technologies that might be a better match for your changing workloads. Technologies that place a premium on speed and throughput while still maximizing energy efficiency. Click here to see more.
Performance: System & Task
You spend a lot of money on your data center. But are you getting the most performance possible from your systems? Are you getting the most bang for your buck?
In this section we discuss how to maximize performance both at a system and task level. There are several aspects to this, but we'll do our best to hit the high points and give you some things to investigate. Click here to see what we've lined up for you...
(Profilers, Utilization management, Arc Compute, Giga I/O, Liquid, accelerators too)
Utilization/Workload Management
Keeping a close eye on system utilization and workload management is going to become critical as data center costs rise and demand for computing resources increases. While you probably have a decent handle on utilization for your most important systems/apps, the better you can do this, the more efficient your operations. Let's discuss it further on this page.
Data Center Infrastructure & Power Management
Both of these are key areas and great sources of information when it comes to achieving higher efficiency in your data center. But it's a bit of a catch-all category in that there are many companies that address the issues in one way or another. Our goal here is to give you an idea of potential sources of help and some valuable data that we've dug up. Click here to give it a look.