Improving data center energy management through advanced technologies and operational best practices.
Overview
Achieving lower energy use in data centers requires the right technologies and operational approaches. Our researchers provide key strategies with detailed guidance on improving energy performance throughout a data center.
Our Work
Our researchers provide rigorous analysis and technical assistance and innovative technology development across cooling and air management, IT and power systems, monitoring and controls, and water efficiency in data centers.
- Our reports and tools help data center operators improve cooling and air management to reduce energy use via cooling and air management.
- Our researchers support the development, testing, and deployment of liquid cooling technologies for increasingly high-density data center applications, engaging in several initiatives to advance the field.
- Our research helps reduce IT equipment power requirements through energy-efficiency improvements and improved IT equipment management. We help optimize the energy usage of UPSs and power distribution units in order to lower data center energy use and costs.
- Our researchers provide resources for data center owners and operators to ensure data center facilities operate at recommended temperatures and humidity via monitoring and controls, which are essential to effective energy management. They enable real-time measurement, analysis and improvements to operations and infrastructure.
- We provide resources, analysis, and best practices to improve water efficiency and support water management in data centers.
The Data Center Cooling Collaborative (DC Cool) establishes a coordinated network of data center cooling testbeds across national laboratories, industry, and universities. Bringing together more than a dozen project teams, DC Cool provides comprehensive technology evaluation, industry-consensus testing protocols, digital twin tools, and broad industry collaboration to accelerate the validation and deployment of advanced cooling solutions, reducing the time, cost, and risk of transitioning innovative technologies from the laboratory to commercial data center applications.
LBNL is developing laser-textured metal surfaces to improve heat transfer in high-density data centers. By tailoring surface area, wettability, and emissivity, the research supports more efficient direct-to-chip liquid cooling and facility-scale radiative cooling. The project is advancing from material samples toward functional cold-plate and radiative-panel prototypes, with research focused on thermal performance, scalability, repeatability, and compatibility with commonly used cooling materials.
Related Publications & Resources
