Green data centers: SynapSense Corp. (Folsom, Calif. - USA)

In a global economy increasingly obsessed with energy efficiency, the data center stands out as a fast-growing energy hog. Data centers, as they've evolved through the Internet age, contain vast and growing amounts of electronic equipment used for data processing, data storage, and communications networking. They also require a tremendous amount of cooling from energy-hungry air conditioning systems to keep equipment from overheating. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded in a recent report that in the past five years alone, the huge increase in the number and size of data centers has led to a doubling of the power required to run and provide cooling to computer equipment in those facilities. The numbers are staggering. In the U.S., the EPA estimates data centers consumed roughly 61 billion kilowatt-hours in 2006 - roughly equal to the annual power consumption of Austria or the Czech Republic. In the United States, this represents about 1.5 per cent of total electricity consumption at a cost of about USD $4.5 billion.

SynapSense Corp., a leading provider of wireless instrumentation solutions, has launched a product that helps data centers dramatically reduce their energy costs and carbon footprint by optimizing operational efficiencies. One issue data centers face is an inability to detect excess heat build-up in equipment, otherwise known as "hot spots." This leads to overcooling as a blanket measure to avoid equipment failures. According to estimates, 50 per cent of energy used by the global data-center industry is for cooling computer and networking equipment. As the industry grows, so too does the cooling and power demands in data centers. Operators of these facilities have more reason than ever to implement cost-saving technologies that drive energy efficiency. SynapSense offers operators a solution that lets them monitor and manage their data-center environment by providing real-time access to information and analytics. Armed with this technology, operators can uncover significant energy savings and reduce their carbon footprint by fine-tuning their thermal and operating environment. IBM, one of the world's largest owners and operators of data centers, announced in 2007 that SynapSense had become a green start-up partner. Separately, IBM said it would commit USD $1 billion every year to the development of more energy-efficient data centers. The trend toward "green" computing is clearly gaining momentum.

Emerald is proud to have led a USD $11 million Series B financing in Folsom, Calif.-based SynapSense, and was pleased to work with Silicon Valley venture capital veteran Sequoia Capital in the investment syndicate. Emerald's Scott MacDonald has also joined the SynapSense board. Read our Press Release here. (Visit: www.synapsense.com)