II-New: Towards Green Data Centers: A Testbed for Thermo-Computational Dynamics

该项目通过对计算和冷却两个子系统的整体管理，开发了一个数据中心节能试验床。它为伊利诺伊大学的一个大型计算集群提供了仪器，该集群再现了数据中心具有代表性的能源消耗动态。要了解大型计算系统中的热量和能量动态，需要在计算和冷却方面进行详细的传感和控制。其目标是产生对能源优化研究有重大贡献的模型和算法，从而减少当代计算集群的碳足迹和运营成本。在本项目中开发的试验台主要关注于了解和改进软件控制的能量优化机制，以在表现出非平凡耦合的热和计算动力学的系统(称为热计算系统)中进行能量优化，以实现更好的数据中心能量管理。建成后，它很可能成为第一个也是最大的开放式试验台，旨在实现对大型热计算系统的高质量研究。该项目的动机是数据中心不断增加的能源成本，据估计，数据中心的能源成本每年超过45亿美元，在没有干预的情况下，预计将以12%的速度增长。根据美国环保署的说法，这些成本中的大部分是可以避免的。因此，如果成功，该项目将通过节省能源成本和碳足迹，为经济和环境做出重大贡献。

This project develops a testbed for experimentation with energy saving in data centers via holistic management of both the computing and cooling subsystems. It instruments a large computing cluster at the University of Illinois that reproduces representative dynamics of energy consumption in data centers. Understanding heat and energy dynamics in large computing systems requires detailed sensing and control on both the computing and cooling side. The goal is to produce models and algorithms that significantly contribute to energy optimization research leading to reductions in carbon footprint and operating costs of contemporary computing clusters. The testbed developed in this project focuses primarily on understanding and improving software-controlled mechanisms for energy optimization in systems that exhibit non-trivial coupled thermal and computational dynamics, called thermo-computational systems, towards better energy management of data centers. When complete, it is likely to become the first and largest open testbed geared for enabling high quality research on large thermo-computational systems. The project is motivated by the increasing energy cost of data centers, which is estimated at more than $4.5 billion annually and is expected to grow at a rate of 12% in the absence of intervention. According to the EPA, most of this cost is avoidable. If successful, the project will therefore contribute significantly to both the economy and the environment by resulting in savings in both energy cost and carbon footprint.