IBM Looks To Turn Down Heat With New Cool Blue Technology; Long-Standing Server Problem; A water-cooling approach could fight heat, but rivals say other tacks work better.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN

A server-cooling technology from IBM promises to save energy in data centers, but it's taking heat from rivals who call it the wrong approach to an age-old problem.

Cool Blue, the nickname for IBM's Rear Door Heat eXchanger, is designed to cut server heat emissions by more than half and lower cooling costs 15%.

"It's just a better way of managing heat," said Rod Adkins, who heads IBM's systems and technology unit. "This is a much more innovative approach in terms total cost of ownership."

The problem of heat, which has long plagued computers, has grown acute in recent years. As chips get faster and server makers pack more power into a smaller space, systems are getting hotter.

Five years ago, a typical server drew about 50 watts of electricity. Today, 250 watts is the norm. Under the laws of physics, that power winds up as heat.

Most data centers keep systems cool by chilling the air inside the building. Usually they set up alternating aisles of hot and cool air. Fans on each server chassis pull in air from a cool aisle, draw heat from internal server components, and blow that air out into a hot aisle.