When data centers go green, energy can be saved

FORT COLLINS – Inside Building 6 of Hewlett-Packard’s south Fort Collins complex, the space known as “The Sandbox” is starkly devoid of sand. Actually, the nearly 2,700-square-foot area is neatly lined with sterile rows and cabinets of computing equipment, which serve as the lab within the lab where HP will test and showcase its next generation of sustainable data centers.

The company opened its new 50,000-square-foot research facility in late March, bringing in scientists and engineers from its offices around the country to talk about the prospects for greener data centers. HP’s researchers want to significantly reduce…