Keeping data centers cool

A SynapSense wireless node

In the current economic climate, companies offering tools for energy efficiency are well-positioned to weather lean times, according to Peter Van Deventer, president and CEO of data center energy management company SynapSense.

Folsom-based SynapSense announced in March that it pulled in $7 million in VC funding. Investors included Menlo Park, Calif.-based Sequoia Capital, San Francisco-based Nth Power and Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmBH, the venture arm of German automotive, appliance and industrial equipment company Robert Bosch. 

Unlike data center energy management providers that address server load balancing, SynapSense’s wireless systems manage data center temperature, pressure and humidity. Real-time imaging software shows hot spots and high pressure and humidity areas, allowing users to adjust airflow accordingly, which can eliminate overcooling and cut energy consumption by 20 percent, according to the company.

SynapSense’s technology is especially timely as companies are deferring planned data center expansions, according to Van Deventer.

“Data centers are going to have to make do with what they have,” he says, which bodes well for companies offering optimization tools. In January 2009, Redwood City, Calif.-based Sentilla, which offers energy management for data centers and industrial facilities, brought in $7.5 million in venture funding.

Founded in 2006, SynapSense’s clients include Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), Facebook and the U.S. Department of Energy-supported Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Van Deventer says SynapSense plans to use its recent investment to expand expand its management tools beyond data centers, but did not say what applications might be next. The company is also exploring energy efficiency funding being offered through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he says.