DCiE

Data Centre Infrastructure Effectiveness

As a high-level metric the DCiE is important in the management of data centre efficiency. Originally concieved by The Green Grid, it represents the relationship between the Total Facility Power (TFP) and IT Equipment Power (ITEP) and is the reciprocal value of PUE.

DCiE = ITEP / TFP

This value is calculated as the amount of power used in the data centre, divided by the amount of power to run the data centre.

The closer the value is to 1, the more energy efficient the data centre is.

DCiE will be different for each data centre as the metric is affected by just about all variables in the data centre, such as amount and number of computing devices, applications, their size and processing requirements, power and cooling requirements and so on.

The value will be subject to potentially large swings based on the change of configuration, performance and efficiency mix of the data centre. This leads it to be an ineffective tool for identifying and drilling down to lower levels for ratification of any changes, or for veryifying the benefits of potential infrastructure/mix changes. Consequently, other metrics will be necessary to fulfill this requirement.