Why PDUs matter for managing Data Centers power usage

Traditionally data center power was built on one overriding principle: ensure uptime, often by significant over-provisioning. The focus was on distribution, which meant there was little visibility into how power was actually being used at a granular level. While this model worked for its time, it lacks the precision needed for modern IT infrastructure. The industry has since evolved, adopting a new model that uses data to provide clear visibility, enabling active management of both efficiency and resilience. 

The revolution didn’t come from a new server or a faster switch. It started silently, inside the server rack, with the evolution of a device once dismissed as a commodity: the Power Distribution Unit (PDU). The transformation of the PDU from a “simple” power strip into an intelligent, data-gathering nerve center is the single most important, yet overlooked, story in modern infrastructure management. 

From Power Distribution to Data Acquisition 

The fundamental shift is in purpose. While the traditional PDU merely distributes power, an intelligent PDU acquires and transmits operational data. It is the primary sensory input for the entire data center ecosystem. By measuring voltage, current (A), real power (kW), and energy consumption (kWh) at the outlet level, the PDU provides the high-fidelity data stream that forms the foundation of all meaningful optimization.

Without this granular data, concepts like Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) are little more than marketing fluff. The PUE formula, PUE= Total  Facility  Energy / IT Equipment Energy ​, is only as accurate as its denominator. Estimating the IT load leads to a flawed metric. Intelligent PDUs provide the precise, real-time IT equipment energy value, transforming PUE from a vague annual target into an actionable, real-time diagnostic tool.

Translating Raw Data into Operational Intelligence 

This stream of data is the lifeblood for any modern Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) platform. It allows operators to move from a reactive stance to a state of predictive, data-driven control. 

  1. Eradicating Energy Waste: PDU data immediately illuminates “ghost servers” and underutilized assets, whose constant power draw drains budget and capacity. By identifying these, organisations can consolidate workloads and decommission zombie hardware, instantly improving rack density and deferring capital expenditure.
  1. Building Proactive Resilience: Downtime doesn’t just happen; it’s often preceded by warning signs. Intelligent PDUs are the early warning system. By setting custom thresholds, they send alerts when a rack’s power draw approaches a circuit’s limit, long before an overload occurs. When paired with environmental sensors, they detect thermal anomalies and humidity spikes—the silent killers of IT hardware allowing for pre-emptive intervention.
  1. Enabling Intelligent Capacity Planning: How do you know when you need more power? In the past, the answer was often “when the lights go out.” Today, PDU data provides clear trend analysis. It shows not only current usage but also growth over time, enabling managers to forecast future needs with startling accuracy. This prevents costly over-provisioning and ensures that power infrastructure scales precisely with business demand.

The Hyperscale Imperative: Intelligence as a Foundational Principle 

Nowhere is this philosophy more critical than at extreme scale. In a facility like a Yotta hyperscale data center, which operates on an industrial level, where micro-inefficiencies can multiply into massive macro-level costs. For us, intelligent power management isn’t a feature; it’s an architectural mandate. Our entire operational model is built upon a foundation of granular data acquisition, from the PDU in the rack to the chillers in the plant. This creates a hyper-efficient ecosystem where every watt is accounted for.

This meticulous approach delivers immense value to our clients. When you house your critical infrastructure in a Yotta colocation data center, you are plugging into this ecosystem of intelligence. You benefit from the resilience that comes from predictive analytics and the cost-efficiency passed down from our operational excellence. It provides the assurance that your digital assets are not just powered but managed with a level of precision that is simply unattainable in a less sophisticated environment.

The Future is Switched On 

The evolution continues. Switched PDUs now grant operators the ability to remotely power cycle individual outlets. A frozen server no longer requires a “remote hands” ticket or a physical visit; it can be rebooted securely from a central dashboard. This capability, combined with programmed power sequencing, is vital for bringing equipment online in a controlled manner, preventing damaging inrush currents and ensuring network stability.

Ultimately, the intelligent PDU is no longer just about distributing power; it’s about providing the intelligence that unlocks lower operational costs, greater uptime, and truly sustainable scalability. It is the pulse of the rack, and a strong pulse means a healthy, high-performing data center.

If you’re still relying on legacy power distribution methods, you’re likely overpaying for inefficiencies. It’s time to embrace intelligent power management and partner with a data center provider that has mastered performance at scale.

RDHx in Colocation: The Smart Way to Cool High-Density Racks

As artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and high-performance workloads become central to enterprise IT, data centers are adapting to meet significantly higher power and thermal demands. Traditional air-cooling systems continue to play a vital role in data center operations, but as rack densities climb beyond 30kW per rack, Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx) are emerging as increasingly valuable for delivering precise, rack-level cooling in high-density environments. By delivering efficient, rack-level cooling, RDHx technology offers a smarter, more localised way to manage heat in colocation data center environments – without overhauling the entire cooling infrastructure.

RDHx systems are designed to be mounted directly at the rear of server racks, where they intercept hot exhaust air before it enters the data hall. By using chilled water coils to absorb heat, RDHx units cool the air immediately and recirculate it back into the environment at acceptable temperatures. This localised cooling mechanism enables the support of high-density computing loads-up to 50-60kW per rack-without the need to overhaul the entire room’s cooling infrastructure.

RDHx for High-Density Colocation

Colocation facilities are increasingly catering to clients with high-density workloads, especially those running AI model training, financial simulations, or other compute-heavy applications. RDHx presents several advantages for colocation data center providers:

1. Localised Cooling Precision: Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx) offer rack-level thermal management by directly capturing and cooling hot air as it exits the server chassis. Unlike room-based cooling systems that cool the data hall uniformly, RDHx delivers precision cooling exactly at the source. This not only improves thermal efficiency but also contributes to a lower Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), helping data centers operate more sustainably while maintaining optimal performance for high-density workloads.

2. Maximising Usable Space: By mounting directly onto the rear of server racks, RDHx systems eliminate the need for raised floors, overhead ducting, or additional aisle containment solutions. This design-driven efficiency frees up valuable floor space, allowing operators to accommodate more equipment per square foot. For colocation providers, this translates to increased customer capacity and better utilisation of revenue-generating real estate without compromising airflow management.

3. Built-in Scalability and Mixed-Density Support: RDHx enables seamless integration of mixed-density deployments within the same environment. Data center operators can host racks with varying thermal profiles – such as 10kW general-purpose servers alongside 50kW AI or HPC nodes – within the same row. Since each rack has its own independent cooling unit, this flexibility simplifies capacity planning and accelerates customer onboarding, all while maintaining thermal stability across the floor.

4. Future-Ready, Air-Cooled Compatibility: One of RDHx’s greatest advantages lies in its ability to support conventional air-cooled hardware while accommodating modern high-density demands. It serves as a bridge between traditional cooling systems and advanced liquid cooling, enabling organizations to scale up without the operational complexity or capital investment required for immersion or direct-to-chip solutions. This makes RDHx a highly effective transitional technology for data centers evolving toward next-generation workloads.

Engineering Considerations

RDHx systems require careful planning and execution to deliver optimal performance in colocation settings.

1. Chilled Water Connections: Since RDHx systems rely on chilled water, they require precision plumbing and reliable monitoring devices to ensure safe and effective operation. Water flow rate, inlet temperature, and return temperature must be tightly regulated.

2. Integration with Rack OEMs: RDHx deployment needs to be closely coordinated with server rack manufacturers and IT hardware vendors. Variations in server designs, airflow patterns, and cable management can affect RDHx efficiency and installation feasibility.

3. Power Redundancy: To maintain uptime, RDHx units are typically powered by UPS systems with battery backup. Many also include Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS) to accept dual power sources, thereby ensuring redundancy and resilience.

4. Centralised Humidification Control: Unlike room-based CRAC/CRAH systems, RDHx units do not include built-in humidifiers. Therefore, centralised humidification systems need to be integrated into the overall HVAC design to maintain environmental conditions within ASHRAE standards.

RDHx Implementation: How Yotta Supports High-Density Racks

To efficiently manage high-density racks with loads of up to 60kW, Yotta has integrated Rear Door Heat Exchanger (RDHx) units across its data center infrastructure. These cooling units are installed at the rear of each rack, directing hot exhaust air straight into the RDHx inlets for immediate cooling. This approach ensures that heat is contained and dissipated right at the source, maintaining stable environmental conditions across the data center. Each RDHx is connected to an extended chilled water network, supported by precision valves and monitoring devices that ensure optimal flow and temperature control.

Yotta’s RDHx deployment is carefully aligned with rack OEMs and hardware manufacturers to deliver high-performance, seamless integration. The system is designed with centralised humidifier control to support balanced humidity levels, complementing the localised cooling provided by the RDHx. Each unit is powered by a UPS system with sufficient battery backup, ensuring uninterrupted cooling during power transitions. To further enhance reliability, every RDHx unit is equipped with an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) that draws from dual power sources-delivering robust power redundancy for mission-critical workloads.

Conclusion: Future-Proofing Colocation with RDHx

As the demand for compute-intensive applications continues to surge, colocation providers must adopt smarter, more scalable cooling strategies to keep pace. Rear Door Heat Exchangers offer a practical and energy-efficient solution, enabling high-density deployments without compromising space or uptime. With precise, rack-level cooling and integration flexibility, RDHx is becoming the preferred choice for modern data centers. At Yotta, our adoption of RDHx is a strategic step toward next-generation infrastructure. It allows us to support cutting-edge AI and HPC workloads, while maintaining the high availability, energy efficiency, and operational excellence our clients expect.

What Financial Institutions Must Consider When Choosing a Data Center 

In 2024 alone, Indian banks processed over 100 billion digital transactions, worth more than ₹600 lakh crore, through UPI, NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS. Meanwhile, the financial services sector’s cloud adoption surged by 45% year-over-year, according to IDC, as banks accelerate digital transformation, AI adoption, and mobile-first offerings.

But behind every seamless payment, real-time trade, or fraud alert is an unseen hero: the data center. For financial institutions, choosing the right data center is no longer just a technical decision it’s a strategic imperative that influences regulatory compliance, customer trust, and business continuity.

So, what should BFSI leaders look for while selecting their Data Center Services Provider?

Regulatory Compliance Is Non-Negotiable

Banks operate in one of the most tightly regulated environments, being closely monitored by regulators like the RBI, SEBI, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). From data localization mandates to ISO/PCI DSS certifications, there is no room for compromise.

– RBI’s IT Framework mandates that data pertaining to Indian citizens must reside within India.
– Compliance with ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and SOC 2 signal that your infrastructure meets global security and privacy benchmarks.
– Audit-readiness is crucial—data centers should support banks during regulatory inspections or third-party audits.

What to Ask:

1. Is the data center RBI-compliant and ISO/PCI certified?
2. Can it provide real-time logs and documentation during audits?

Uptime: Because Finance Never Sleeps

In an always-on economy, even 1 minute of downtime can cost a bank crores in transaction losses, customer churn, and reputational damage. Look for:

– Tier III+ or Tier IV certification from the Uptime Institute.
– Redundant power, cooling, and network systems.
– Service Level Agreements (SLAs) offering 99.99% or higher uptime.

A resilient data center should ensure operations remain unaffected during natural disasters, cyberattacks, or infrastructure failures.

What to Ask:

1. What’s your historical uptime record?
2. Do you offer dual power feeds, backup generators, and N+1 cooling?

Uncompromising Physical and Cyber Security

The financial sector is among the top 3 targets for cybercrime globally, making layered security essential. Institutions must demand:

– Physical security: 24/7 guards, CCTV, biometric access, multi-factor authentication.
– Cybersecurity: DDoS mitigation, managed firewalls, SIEM, IDS/IPS, and regular penetration testing.
– Zero Trust architecture for internal segmentation and access control.

What to Ask

1. Do you offer SOC-as-a-Service or Managed SIEM?
2. How do you handle DDoS attacks and ransomware threats?

Disaster Recovery (DR) & Business Continuity

A robust DR plan is essential for operational continuity. The ideal data center partner should offer:

– Geographically separated DR sites.
– Automated backup and recovery systems.
– Continuous replication for critical workloads.

With RBI requiring a working DR site for Core Banking Systems (CBS), failover readiness is no longer optional.

What to Ask:

1. How far is your DR site from the primary?
2. How quickly can you recover services during a disaster?

Scalability and Flexibility

With fintech partnerships, open banking APIs, and real-time KYC/AML systems, the pace of data growth is relentless. Choose a provider that offers:

– Modular infrastructure (rack, cage, suite, or floor options).
– High-density rack support (10–40 kW).
– Flexible contracts (pay-as-you-grow, OPEX-first).

What to Ask:

1. Can I scale from 1 rack to 50 without major capex?
2. What’s your average power density per rack?

Connectivity and Low Latency

High-frequency trading, UPI payments, or fraud detection all demand sub-second responses.

– Direct connectivity to financial hubs like BSE/NSE.
– Carrier-neutral facility with access to multiple ISPs.
– Cloud-on-ramps to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud for hybrid deployments.

What to Ask:

1. Do you have fiber diversity and dual paths?
2. Can I peer with exchanges or fintech partners from your facility?

Operational Expertise & Transparency

Choose a partner that acts like an extension of your IT team.

– 24×7 Network Operations Center (NOC) and on-site engineers.
– Remote hands, migration support, rack-and-stack services.
– Transparent pricing with no hidden charges.

How Yotta is empowering BFSI with Trust, Compliance & Scale

Built for Regulation and Resilience

Yotta’s hyperscale data centers are designed to meet the unique demands of India’s financial ecosystem.

Key Compliance Features:

– Tier IV-certified (e.g., Yotta NM1 in Navi Mumbai).
– Strategic presence in the IFSC zone with access to global and domestic markets.(eg: Yotta G1 in Gujarat)
– Aligned with RBI guidelines.
– Certified for ISO 27001, ISO 22301, PCI DSS, and more.
– MeitY-empaneled for hosting critical government and BFSI workloads.

Secured & Always-On

– Yotta NM1 provides 48+ hours of backup power, 15+ security layers, and 99.999% uptime SLAs.
– With SEZ-based billing that offers significant cost advantages, Yotta G1 is also uniquely positioned to function as a Data Embassy, ensuring data sovereignty and regulatory compliance for international institutions operating in India.
– Security includes SOC-as-a-Service, SIEM, DDoS protection, and advanced access controls.

Hyper-Scalable & AI-Ready

– Rack supports up to 40 kW, perfect for AI/ML training, HFT, or analytics.
– Modular deployments let you scale from 1 rack to thousands without major rework.

In Summary

For today’s banks, NBFCs, fintechs, and payment gateways, the data center is no longer just backend plumbing—it’s a pillar of innovation and trust. Choosing a provider like Yotta—with regulatory alignment, unmatched uptime, and hyperscale capability—offers a competitive edge in an increasingly digital financial world.

Ready to reimagine your digital infrastructure? Yotta is already there.