• Data centres face rising energy demands from AI workloads.
• Climatik introduces power capping to optimise data centre energy efficiency.

Ever noticed how AI and cloud computing are turning up the heat—literally? Data centres, the workhorses of our digital lives, are facing a tricky challenge. Sure, they keep the internet running and AI humming, but they’re also energy hogs, guzzling large amounts of power and driving up global energy consumption.

With the rise of generative AI and increasing workloads, it’s no surprise that the tech industry’s carbon footprint is growing.

Data centres are facing new challenges. Rising energy costs, stricter sustainability mandates, and evolving regulations are transforming the industry landscape. For example, California and the Eurozone now require facilities over 100 kW to disclose climate risks and emissions. Cooling, which accounts for up to 40% of a data centre’s energy use, is another major hurdle, pushing operators to explore solutions like liquid cooling to improve efficiency. These challenges underscore the critical need for innovative strategies that balance performance with environmental impact.

So, here’s the big question: how can data centres keep up with AI’s energy demands without burning resources—or the planet? One answer might be Climatik. Climatik is a collaboration between Red Hat, Intel, Bloomberg, and IBM, a project that aims to balance sustainability and performance using power capping.

What’s power capping?

Power capping is pretty straightforward—it’s about managing energy smarter. Climatik uses components like Kubernetes, Prometheus, Kepler, and Custom Resource Definitions (CRD) to monitor and adjust power consumption in real time.

Think of setting an energy budget. By capping power during heavy AI workloads, data centres can minimise energy spikes while keeping everything working smoothly. Kubernetes admins can tweak limits on the fly, ensuring that operations stay green(er) and glitch-free.

The tech behind the magic

Climatik isn’t just a buzzword; it’s built on a solid cloud-native foundation that integrates into existing systems. Here’s what makes it tick:

• Kubernetes: Manages containerised AI workloads,
• Prometheus and Kepler: Keep tabs on live power consumption metrics,
• CRD: Sets custom power capping policies for specific tasks,
• Controller: Adjusts power caps dynamically in response to real-time data,
• Webhooks: Ensures that regulations are implemented seamlessly.

This powerful combination lets data centres save energy without sacrificing the performance that AI workloads demand.

Why should we care?

Climatik brings some big wins to the table:

• Energy efficiency: Smooths out energy usage and caps consumption without sacrificing performance,
• Sustainability: Helps businesses lower their carbon emissions by curbing needless energy consumption,
• Optimised performance: Keeps AI applications running at peak efficiency despite power constraints.

Cost savings through power capping

One of the most immediate benefits of power capping is cost savings. By limiting energy consumption during peak demand periods or high-cost times, data centres can significantly lower their electricity bills. This not only prevents over-provisioning resources but reduces need for expensive infrastructure upgrades, helping operators stay within budget.

When combined with renewable energy sources, power capping offers even greater savings. Stabilising energy use aligns with sustainability goals and reduces reliance on costly grid power. This dual approach—optimising consumption and integrating renewables—positions data centres to achieve long-term operational efficiencies and cutting costs

Climatik aims to integrate with more monitoring and management tools, creating a system that is scalable and adaptable. The ultimate goal? To create a dependable, flexible solution that can satisfy the needs of any data centre, big or small.

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