The University of Chicago data centers received a Gold Certification through Informa’s Data Center Efficiency Evolution Program (DEEP). This is the top certification level the program awards for data center sustainability and efficiency. In November 2022, the University sought an efficiency study to review the energy usage and operational efficiency of the University’s six data centers located across three separate buildings. The review was triggered after discovering the data centers’ overall power usage had increased enough to become the campus’ fourth-largest consumer of energy. The IT Services data center team wanted to see what overall efficiency improvements could be achieved to more aggressively and successfully pursue the University’s sustainability initiatives.
The DEEP program assesses data center energy efficiency, carbon emissions, water usage, and e-recycling for a holistic view of overall sustainability. The certification scoring is based on reviews of the electrical, mechanical, airflow, and data center and campus processes. Overall, the University data centers achieved a 99% rating with a weighted score of 224 out of 225 points. The assessment also complemented the creative data center setup, which allowed for additional efficiency. Despite the top marks, the assessment also offered efficiency and sustainability opportunities, which the team will consider in their pursuit of developing a truly efficient data center and aligning with the University’s sustainability goals.
For more details, the results were published in a case study.