Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency (DCIE)

Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency (DCIE) is one of the popular performance improvement metrics used to calculate the energy or power efficiency of a data center. It is the percentage value obtained by dividing IT equipment power by total facility power.

Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency = IT Equipment Power / Total Facility Power X 100%

The higher the DCIE value the more efficient the datacenter.

The total facility power is the power measured at the utility meter. Whereas, the IT equipment power includes all the actual load of IT equipment like – servers, workstations, storage, switches, printers and other delivery equipment.

Given below is an example that will help you understand how to use DCIE metric in order to evaluate your data center’s electrical efficiency:

Suppose, Total Facility Power = 320 kW and IT Equipment Power = 160 kW

Using the formula DCIE = IT Equipment Power / Total Facility Power X 100%

DCIE = 160/320 X 100% = 50%

Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency (DCiE) and its reciprocal Power Usage

Effectiveness (PUE) were introduced by a non-profit organization, Green Grid that seeks to maximize the efficiency of data centers.

Using PUE and DCiE as a metric helps us understand how efficient a data center is and how it compares with other data centers in similar locations or environmental conditions. This enables us to identify the areas that can be worked on by applying best practices.

The variables that typically affect PUE and DCiE are as follows:

1.) Utilization rate of the data center facility (If the facility houses a lot of equipment, the utilization rate will be higher)
2.) Design and age of the data center facility (The newer the facility, the more modern and efficient its equipment will be)
3.) Energy Efficiency of the IT equipment (This depends on the age and design of the equipment)