GE said it is relying on its own technology to address more than 50 percent of data center energy usage from power supply, distribution, cooling and lighting. "These solutions can result in a 40 percent annual improvement in energy savings for non-IT systems," said Greg Simpson, Chief Technology Officer, GE.

GE's Ohio-based data center features 29,000 square feet of raised floor " equivalent to six professional basketball courts " and includes more than 3,800 IT systems. The data center consumes 24 million kWh of power each year. To help with the reduction of water and energy, GE is updating the data center with nearly 30 products from nine different GE businesses, including power quality, chilled water, electrical, security and IT services equipment.

This data center effort is part of GE's ecomagination business strategy, designed to build innovative technologies and solutions that help customers address environmental and financial needs and help GE grow.

As part of the initiative, GE is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 1 percent by 2012 and reducing its water consumption by 20 percent by 2012. Since ecomagination's inception in 2005, GE has saved more than $100 million in energy costs; developed more than 70 ecomagination-certified products; and has earned $17 billion in revenues in 2008.

The first phase of the data center solution will be completed this month with further functionality being added in the first half of 2009. The planned rollout will continue with implementations in other major GE data centers in Georgia, Connecticut and Budapest.