Sun announced, the other day, the completion of their new data center at Broomfield in Colorado. The data center has a number of notable features including: Greater space efficiency: A scalable, modular datacenter based on the Sun Pod Architecture led to a 66 percent footprint compression, by reducing 496,000 square feet from the former StorageTek campus in Louisville, Colo. to 126,000 square feet; · Reduced electrical consumption: By 1 million kWh per month, enough to power 1,000 homes in Colorado; · Reduced raised floor datacenter space: From 165,000 square feet to less than 700 square feet of raised floor datacenter space, representing a $4M cost avoidance; · Greener architecture: Including flywheel UPS that eliminates lead and chemicals waste by removing the need for batteries, and non-chemical · water treatment system, saving water and reducing chemical pollution; · Enhanced scalability: Incorporated 7 MW of capacity that scales up to 40% higher without major construction; · Innovative cooling: The world’s first and largest installation of Liebert advanced XD cooling system with dynamic cooling controls capable of supporting rack loads up to 30kW and a chiller system 24% more efficient than ASHRAE standards; · Overall excellence: Recognized with two Ace awards for Project of the Year from the Associated Contractors of Colorado, presented for excellence in design, execution, complexity and environmental application. With this in mind I decided to have a chat with Mark Monroe, Sun’s Director of Sustainable Computing to find out more about the data center.