Improving Rack Power Quality with Innovative PDUs

February 6, 2025

Forward-Looking Innovation in the Rack PDU

Due to growing concerns about energy supply, power reliability has become increasingly important for data centers. Discussions about power and its scarcity are more prevalent in the media than ever before. While recent coverage has focused on securing power for new AI data centers, there is less emphasis on the quality of power within the data center, particularly at the rack level.

At Legrand, we’re hyper-focused on power distribution and power quality within the data center. Our own Calvin Nicholson, Senior Director of Product Management — Rack Power Solutions, is explicit that there’s an emerging problem. “Many of us take power quality for granted within the data center. But what’s happening is that many of our customers have looked at the power they’re getting at the device or cabinet level, and they are seeing some issues.”

As data centers evolve to accommodate denser infrastructure, operators are increasingly packing more hardware into each rack, resulting in the installation of more processors. However, this has led to emerging issues due to an outdated approach to power distribution, which adversely affects power quality.

“The devices themselves, typically with switch mode power supplies, are creating a lot of harmonic distortion issues as well. You can’t assume anymore that, based on power type, quality, and location, you have good-quality power being distributed through to your devices,” Nicholson says.

Data center operators face challenges related to power quality issues at the rack level. One primary obstacle is the reliance on outdated rack Power Distribution Units (PDUs) that lack intelligent power monitoring capabilities. Traditionally, PDUs have been viewed as essential but unremarkable components, much like the power strips found under desks or behind televisions at home. However, the demands of modern data center environments necessitate feature-rich PDUs that monitor power requirements and quality at the device or cabinet level. Organizations now need PDUs that can provide detailed analyses and automate certain tasks to effectively address these challenges.

Raritan Intelligent Rack PDUs from Legrand are the right tools for the job. These advanced PDUs can identify specific outlets causing power issues, capture waveform data for analysis, and remotely monitor power conditions. By collecting data on power usage patterns, intelligent PDUs facilitate capacity planning and prevent overloading.

Nicholson highlights the significance of understanding both minimum and maximum power consumption to ensure safe server installation. Next-generation intelligent power distribution units (PDUs) like the Raritan PRO4X provide comprehensive capacity planning, environmental monitoring, and access control features. Compliant with the IEC 61557-12 Standard, which sets the requirements for power metering and monitoring devices used in electrical distribution systems, our PDUs offer*:

• Advanced Power Quality Monitoring and measurements that allow you to proactively troubleshoot sources of power issues and optimize for PUE, CUE, and more.
• Total Harmonic Distortion monitoring, which measures how much your electrical load distorts your facility’s power.
• Circuit Breaker Trip Forensics that identify which outlet and corresponding device caused a circuit breaker to trip.
• DCIM integration that helps monitor and manage your power ecosystem from a single console.

*Some features are unavailable on selected models.

The new Raritan Intelligent Rack PDUs provide valuable insights for capacity planning, workload optimization, environmental monitoring, physical and digital access control, power quality, and uptime initiatives. They serve as a foundational technology for data center operators looking to prevent power quality issues while addressing future challenges in rack power distribution.

By delivering detailed power data and advanced analytics, intelligent PDUs enable data center operators to optimize energy usage, avoid downtime, and tackle future power distribution problems. These intelligent PDUs are essential tools for ensuring reliability and efficiency in today’s demanding data center environments.To uncover the advantages of our PDUs, www.raritan.com/px