On the afternoon of September 27, 2023, the mandatory national standard for "Energy Efficiency Limits and Energy Efficiency Grades for Tower and Rack Servers," which was led by China National Institute of Standardization, passed the review organized by the National Energy Foundation and Management Standardization Technical Committee.

With the widespread application of digital and information technology, China's total data centre energy consumption in 2022 was 130 billion kWh, an increase of 16% year-on-year, accounting for about 1.5% of the total national electricity consumption. It is estimated that by 2030, the total energy consumption of servers will reach about 380 billion kWh. Servers account for about 50% to 60% of the energy consumption of data centers, making them the most important energy-consuming equipment in data centers. It is urgently necessary to guide the industry in energy conservation and efficiency improvement through standards. The "Action Plan for Peak Carbon Emissions Before 2030" explicitly requires benchmarking against international advanced levels, accelerating the improvement of energy efficiency standards for communication, computing, storage, transmission, and other equipment, raising entry thresholds, and phasing out outdated equipment and technologies.

The standard specifies the energy efficiency levels, technical requirements, and testing methods for single- and dual-way tower and rack server products. Based on a comprehensive review of the energy efficiency status and technological development trends of server products at home and abroad, the drafting team proposed innovative energy efficiency evaluation indicators, established corresponding measurement methods, and developed the server energy efficiency test benchmark tool (BenchSEE) independently. The energy efficiency limit values determined in the standard, taking into account the actual energy efficiency situation of China's server products and the level of industry development, exceed the requirements of relevant standards and specifications in the EU and the United States, reaching an international leading level.

The formulation of the standard for "Energy Efficiency Limits and Energy Efficiency Grades for Tower and Rack Servers" is an important measure to implement the "Action Plan for Peak Carbon Emissions Before 2030". It will help guide and support the research and development of energy-efficient servers and related components in China, enhance the technical competitiveness of China's server products. In the next step, our institute will continue to work closely with relevant manufacturing enterprises, research institutions, testing and certification bodies, etc., accelerate breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies in line with international advanced levels, continuously improve the technical level of server energy efficiency testing benchmark tools, and better support and lead the technological innovation in energy conservation and carbon reduction in the server industry. This will make greater contributions to achieving the goals of peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality and promoting green, low-carbon, and high-quality development.

If you want to get the Chinese and English version of this mandatory standard, please contact 

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