Even as data centers strive to reduce power consumption, they must deal with the reality that demand for information services is growing. Storage needs are booming, as is global Internet traffic and use of mobile Internet devices, says Brian Lillie, who is CIO of co-location provider Equinix and the keynote speaker at the Data Center World conference.

Co-location centers are enabling new models, which require strict uptime enabled by redundancy across many aspects of the data center. For example, a reliable data center has multiple network connections from separate providers, such as Sprint and AT&T, Lillie says.

Today’s data center manager is demanding “six 9s or better,” he says. “Reliability is one of the biggest concerns, and embedded in that is they need power. Power is probably the largest issue they’re dealing with.”

Separately from the AFCOM conference, a survey by data center provider Digital Realty Trust shows that data centers are being expanded at a rapid clip. The company’s survey of 300 large North American corporations found that 83% plan data center expansions in the next two years. The need for additional power is the biggest driver of data center expansions, the survey found.

Many companies are also trying to consolidate multiple data centers into fewer facilities, but that usually entails building one or two new data centers while shutting down older ones, Eckhaus says. Often, these new data centers are located in areas with cheap access to power and a climate that allows use of free cooling.