Fujitsu rethinks data center cooling with latest Primergy server for cloud applications

Fujitsu's latest Primergy server product, called the Primergy CX1000, was designed to appeal to the economics of cloud service providers -- especially those that are focused on ultra energy efficiency.

By divesting the servers of individual fans and cramming them into its new Cool-Central cabinet architecture, Fujitsu believes it can deliver a 20 percent reduction in power consumption and cooling considerations compared with similarly configured racks, says Richard McCormack, senior vice president of the Fujitsu America server and solutions business. In addition, the upfront cost is about 30 percent less, McCormack claims. The starting configuration, which includes 38 server nodes in a single rack, begins at about $89,000, he estimates.

"This product is the first in its category, and it is the grounding of our entire cloud strategy," he says.

Cool-Central helps keeps things cool by forcing hot air out through the top of the rack, eliminating the need for a hot aisle, according to McCormack. That means Primergy racks can be placed back to back, which means they also take up less space than rival systems. The server nodes are based on the Xeon processor 5600 series. Cool-Central also feature a massive fan, which eliminates the need for redundant ones within each server node. "We let all the cooling happen in the cabinetry," he says.

Interesting, the Primergy CX1000 does not use solid state drives, which McCormack says are still too expensive on a price-performance basis for use in this particular server offering.