How Data Centers Can Become Active Energy Systems

Thinking About Energy Efficiency and Flexibility Together

Today, most data centers operate independently of the current energy supply. They are designed for maximum performance and availability and respond only minimally to fluctuating electricity prices, grid loads, or the availability of renewable energy.

In the »FlexLab« project, we are investigating how these factors interact: data centers are to become active participants in the energy system. They should respond directly to available energy, enabling them to operate both more economically and more sustainably. A flexibly operated data center can use energy precisely when it is particularly inexpensive or available in large quantities. At the same time, this creates new opportunities to relieve pressure on the power grid and generate additional revenue streams. Our goal is to use existing resources as efficiently as possible while unlocking new potential. In this way, data centers can not only consume energy but also actively contribute to the stability of energy systems.

This includes, for example:

• using dynamic electricity prices
• integrating locally generated energy from photovoltaic systems
• providing flexibility to energy markets and grid operators
• reducing peak loads on the power grid

In this way, flexibility becomes an economic factor for future data centers.

»FlexLab«: The Real-World Laboratory for the Data Centers of the Future

At Fraunhofer ITWM, the »FlexLab« is being established as a practical research and testing environment. There, we are connecting existing high-performance computing systems with a battery storage system, a photovoltaic system, and an intelligent energy management system.

In the »FlexLab«, we are integrating two existing high-performance computing systems, an edge node, a photovoltaic system, and a battery storage system into a single integrated system. This enables us to investigate different scenarios for energy generation, consumption, and flexibility under realistic conditions.

Unlike purely simulation-based environments, we test new concepts under real-world conditions. This allows us to assess how different energy and load scenarios affect the operation of modern data centers. This provides industry partners with reliable insights for future applications.

Intelligent Distribution of Computing Tasks and Workload Management

A key focus of the project is the intelligent management of workloads, or computing tasks. To this end, we are integrating software solutions that can automatically distribute computing tasks across suitable systems. With the help of an orchestrator, workloads can be distributed across different systems based on time or location. The orchestrator is responsible for the strategic planning of computing tasks and decides when and where workloads are executed. In doing so, it takes factors such as the availability of renewable energy, infrastructure utilization, and application requirements into account.

This allows applications to be executed preferentially where sufficient renewable energy is available or particularly favorable operating conditions prevail. The IT infrastructure can thus respond to signals from the energy system and use resources more efficiently than before. In addition to workload distribution, we are investigating how the power consumption of individual computing systems can be controlled flexibly.

For this purpose, we use methods for dynamically adjusting the clock frequency and voltage of processors and graphics processing units. Experts refer to this approach as »Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling« (DVFS). When less computing power is required, energy consumption decreases. When demand increases, the resources can once again be made available at full capacity. In addition, reduced power consumption can improve energy efficiency and reduce the load on technical components.

The software prototype developed by Fraunhofer ISST supports:

• analyzing and optimizing workloads across the edge-cloud continuum
• integrating existing infrastructures such as Kubernetes and OpenStack
• providing recommendations for more efficient use of computing resources

Integrating Renewable Energy Sources and Battery Storage

By integrating a photovoltaic system and a battery storage system, we are investigating how locally generated energy can be used optimally. At the same time, we are analyzing how battery storage can mitigate peak loads and make the energy demand of data centers more flexible.

This creates new opportunities to respond to fluctuating electricity prices and variable feed-in from renewable energy sources.

The core of the energy management system is the Amperix energy management system developed at Fraunhofer ITWM. It records energy flows in real time, forecasts energy generation and consumption, and optimizes the operation of battery storage systems and computing resources for different energy scenarios. While the orchestrator plans the long-term distribution of workloads, the Amperix energy management system handles operational control. It forecasts energy generation and consumption and regulates the power consumption of computing resources and battery storage systems in real time.

Evaluating Geographically Distributed Data Centers and Energy-Efficient Hardware

In addition to operating individual sites, we are also examining scenarios involving geographically distributed data centers. We are investigating how computing tasks can be shifted between different locations in order to use energy more efficiently and reduce costs.

These approaches are becoming increasingly important, particularly for cloud and edge computing applications.

Another part of the project focuses on analyzing new hardware technologies. We characterize their energy consumption and assess the options available for flexible control. The findings help to strategically align future data center infrastructures with energy efficiency and flexibility.

Contributing to Europe’s Digital Sovereignty

The demand for digital services is steadily increasing. At the same time, high-performance data centers are becoming a strategic prerequisite for Europe’s digital future.

With the »FlexLab«, we are contributing to making cloud infrastructures more energy-efficient and enabling their integration into future energy systems. In doing so, we support the development of high-performance, sustainable, and sovereign digital infrastructure in Europe.

Partners and Project Duration

We are implementing the »FlexLab« project together with T-Systems as part of the European IPCEI-CIS initiative.