Corning: Cables count in data center energy-efficiency equations

Every single piece of equipment or technology or cabling counts when you are trying to eek better efficiency out of your data center, which is one reason you will start hearing more from some of the cabling suppliers about how their products affect your green data center profile. This is especially relevant, as more businesses look to upgrade their cabling to handle 100G Ethernet.

One example is a recent introduction from Corning Cable Systems for a product called Pretium Evolved-Density Growth-Enabled (EDGE) Solutions. (Note to self: Never, never claim responsibility for an acronym like this one.) The Pretium product line is made from a Corning innovation called ClearCurve multimode fibre, which was launched back in January 2009.

Bob Pollock, director of marketing for Corning Cable Systems, says the main green credentials of the Pretium line are that the cables can end better than competitive options and therefore take up a lot less space in your data center. Trunks created out of Pretium cabling are up to 30 percent smaller than traditional trunks, according to Corning Cable Systems. Because the cables are made of fibre, less heat is generated than if you use copper, Pollock says. (Here's a white paper about fibre's role in reducing heat generation.)