McLaren and IO Form Partnership to Make Data Centers More Energy Efficient

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Jun 06, 2013, 08:00 ET

PHOENIX and WOKING, England, June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT) and IO today announced a long term technology partnership to develop the next generation of energy efficient data centers.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130606/LA27365)

At present, data centers consume approximately two per cent of the global electricity supply, equivalent to the total output of 30 nuclear power stations, and that this is predicted to rise significantly in the years to come.

IO, the global leader in software-defined data centers, has partnered with MAT to apply its expertise in performance management systems, simulation and high performance engineering, to help improve the design and operation of future data centers and reduce energy consumption.

The partnership with IO will draw upon MAT's extensive Formula 1 derived intelligence to tackle a wide range of challenges. These include improving the "aerodynamics" within data centers, to cut the energy used in cooling; using advanced analytics to model patterns of data usage, optimize data center operations and reduce energy usage; and applying simulation technology to further improve resilience to seismic events on data centers.

Speaking at the Innovation Forum in Singapore today, where the partnership announcement was made, Dr. Geoff McGrath, Managing Director of McLaren Applied Technologies said: "Data centers are integral to all our lives. However, as the amount of information we collect, process and store continues to grow, the demand for energy will also increase. Our partnership with IO will enable us to utilize our unique expertise in performance management, simulation and high performance design to make a real difference to this global energy challenge."

He added: "IO is already the world leader in the development of cutting edge data center technology and systems. However, they have challenged themselves and McLaren to think differently and to identify ways to improve efficiency, to cut energy usage and reduce emissions."

"Anyone who has seen a Formula 1 race knows that McLaren is unrivaled when it comes to integrating outstanding software with the hardware built to receive it," added Kevin Malik, IO CIO and GM of IO Labs. "We are extremely excited about this partnership and its potential to yield substantial advances in the telemetry, visibility, and analytics of IO data center technology. Our companies speak the same language and the insights gained from this collaboration will be invaluable to the data center space."

McLaren's position as the global leader in sophisticated software and hardware integration was a primary driver for IO. The company's ability to deliver performance breakthroughs on track and via hi-tech simulation has informed the roadmap for IO, with regard to its IO.Anywhere^® modular data centers and IO.OS^® data center operating system software.

Today's announcement was made in Singapore, which is home to MAT's Headquarters for the Asia Pacific region. IO recently announced its first international data center in Singapore, as part of its work with anchor client Goldman Sachs.

About McLaren Applied Technologies

McLaren Applied Technologies is one of the McLaren Group's most diverse and fast-moving businesses. With expertise in high performance design, performance management systems and simulation systems, MAT works in strategic partnerships with visionaries and market leaders in four core industry areas: energy, health & wellness, sport and automotive.

About IO

IO is the global leader in software-defined data centers. IO has pioneered the next-generation of data center infrastructure technology, which lowers the total cost of data center ownership for enterprises, governments and service providers. IO technology provides an innovative way to deploy, provision and optimize data center capacity anywhere in the world based on the needs of businesses, applications and users.

SOURCE IO