Switch monitors data centres to unlock under-used power

The  switch consists of two identical modules with up to 50A of current per module. It features hot-swap functionality and a configurable single-phase or three-phase input. The system is housed in a standard 19inch 1U package. It also carries UL/cUL and TUV 60950-1 safety certifications.

In a traditional data centre, power is typically provisioned to be 2N redundant, meaning that 50% of the power infrastructure is untapped to provide redundancy in the event of a failure. The switch unlocks additional power by allowing data centres to use the stranded power for 1N non-critical servers. Should a failure event occur, the ICE Switch shifts critical 2N applications to the redundant power, while provisioning any remaining power capacity to non-critical 1N applications based on priority levels set in VPS' ICE software. The ICE software combines fine-grained telemetry and machine learning predictions to distribute redundant power for optimal use and high availability, claims the company. This functionality will allow data centre operators to reliably add servers without spending on the power infrastructure to support those additional applications.

According to the company, the switch is the next step in unlocking under-used power capacity in data centres, and a continuation of efforts with VPS to set new standards for efficient power infrastructure.