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A new partnership of UC Santa Barbara s Institute for Energy Efficiency (IEE) and Facebook will accelerate research into energy-efficient data centers and artificial intelligence (AI). Facebook, a leader in developing, building and operating highly reliable and efficient data centers, will provide a three-year, $1.5 million grant in support of the institute s pioneering research.
Through this partnership, IEE will investigate advanced energy-efficient data center infrastructure, including low-power optical interconnects for computer networks and machine learning (ML) with reduced carbon footprint. Committed to 100% renewable energy since 2018, Facebook has long believed that the first step is always to use the least amount of energy possible by building and operating the most energy efficient data centers in the industry. Facebook has committed to reaching net zero emissions across its value chain in 2030.
By Shelly Leachman for UCSB
December 20, 2020
The 50,000-square-foot Henley Hall at UCSB is ready for business. (Jeff Liang)
Their award-winning research has been the foundation for numerous energy-saving innovations, including bright and energy-saving white light LED lighting, more energy-efficient data-center communications and interconnects, and software that reduces energy usage in buildings worldwide.
How fitting, then, that UC Santa Barbara’s Institute for Energy Efficiency is now housed in one such building.
The institute’s state-of-the-art new home, Henley Hall, is now complete and technically open for business, though the ongoing pandemic has limited its occupation to critical research projects in accordance with state and county public health guidelines.