Rack PDU for Green Data Centers

ITE is normally mounted in racks or cabinets with provisions for all necessary cables, ventilation, cooling, and convenient access. This chapter discusses the rack power distribution unit (PDU), at the end of the power chain, which supplies power to the ITE in the rack. It describes not only the components of the physical rack PDU and basic environmental sensors but also the rack PDU management system that leverages the intelligence in PDUs for operational improvements and energy use reduction. The chapter addresses some of the basic considerations and options one will have when designing and deploying rack PDU system. Two primary forces are influencing rack PDU development and innovation trends. First is the demand for increasing power and density of ITE at the rack or compute density per U of rack space. Second is the industry‐wide goal, even mission, to create energy‐efficient or green data centers, including carbon footprint reduction.