Pumping DC power to the data center

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Posted by Martin LaMonica
Thomas Edison had it right, say the founders of start-up Validus DC Systems. Direct current is the way.
Validus on Tuesday announced that it has raised $10 million from Oak Hill Venture Partners to further develop its data center power supplies that use direct current (DC) to lower power consumption. Products are expected to be released in late January next year.

By using direct current, rather than drawing electricity from outlets that supply alternating current, data center managers can reduce their energy consumption by up to 40 percent, according to the company.
There is a growing awareness of the cost and waste associated with electricity in data centers. Companies are also struggling to get enough electricity to power their gear.
With a few exceptions, nearly all data centers use the alternating current that comes off the electricity grid. Instead, most companies are using virtualization or are buying more efficient cooling units, according to a recent survey done by data center automation company Cassat.