What is the current standard for data center design regarding energy efficiency?

The current standard for data center design regarding energy efficiency is well aligned with ASHRAE guidelines, which provide essential recommendations for temperature and humidity control in data center environments. These guidelines are crucial because maintaining optimal temperature and humidity levels is key to ensuring the longevity of IT equipment and minimizing energy costs. By following ASHRAE's recommendations, data center designers can improve energy efficiency, reduce cooling requirements, and ultimately lower operational expenses.

While other standards and certifications, such as ISO 9001 and LEED, play important roles in various aspects of management and sustainability, they do not specifically address the unique thermal and humidity needs of data centers in the same comprehensive way as ASHRAE does. The NIST frameworks also focus on broader security and management concepts, not specifically on energy efficiency or environmental control parameters like those laid out by ASHRAE. Therefore, the emphasis on temperature and humidity in the context of optimizing energy usage makes ASHRAE guidelines a critical standard for modern data center design.