Ecodesign Requirements for Servers and Data Storage Products

According to the European regulation 2019/424, energy consumption and resource efficiency measures apply as of March 1st, 2020, to most servers and data storage equipment typically used in data centers and offices. Indeed, this regulation contains ecodesign requirements for servers.

Introduction to the Ecodesign Requirements Per Regulation 2019/424

Regulation 2019/424 describes ecodesign requirements for servers and data storage products. It stems from the European Union (EU) Directive 2009/125/EC on ecodesign requirements for electrical-related products. It also comes from the identified product category Lot 9 – Enterprise servers.

What are the Ecodesign Requirements for Servers?

To begin, examples of the requirements listed in the 2019/424 annexes are:

Minimum Power Supply Unit (PSU) efficiency;
Maximum idle state power;
Instructions for installers and end-users;
Conformity assessment with internal technical documentation;
Repair, reuse & refurbishing considerations.

See details of each listed requirement below.

PSU Efficiency

Firstly, a PSU is a device that converts inputted direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) into DC power outputs. Ultimately, its purpose is to provide energy for a data storage appliance or a server. A single output PSU delivers most of its power to one DC output. A multi-output PSU supplies it to more than one.

2019/424 specifies a minimum efficiency that a PSU must have at a certain percentage of its rated load level. For example, from January 1^st, 2023, a PSU at 20% of its rated load must be at least:

90% efficient for a multi-output;
94% efficient for a single output.

Idle State Power

Secondly, idle state power is the power demand (in Watts) when a server is operational but not doing any work. Moreover, it is the sum of the basic idle state power allowance and the idle state power allowances for extra components.

2019/424 gives the maximum idle state power for different types of servers. For example, the base idle state power allowance for 1-socket servers is 25 Watts. Also, the extra idle power alliance for more memory is 0.18 Watts per gigabyte (GB).

Instructions for Installers and End-Users

Thirdly, 2019/424 obliges manufacturers to provide, among other data, the following product information in the instruction manuals for users:

Product type
Manufacturer name and address
Year of manufacture
PSU efficiency
Idle state power
Maximum power
Declared operating condition class

Documentation for Conformity Assessment

Next, the technical documentation for conformity assessment must include the information in the previous section, Instructions for Installers and End-users, as well as:

The weight range at the component level of:
- Cobalt in the batteries
- Neodymium in the hard disk drives (HDD)
Disassembly operations instructions, including:
- Type of operation
- Type and number of fastening methods
- Required tools

Ecodesign Requirements to Repair

Finally, manufacturers must ensure that their sealing, fastening, or joining methods do not inhibit disassembly. Thus, the design aids repair or reuse of the component. This condition applies to:

Data storage devices
Processors (CPU)
PSUs
Batteries
Chassis
Motherboards
Memory
Graphics/Expansion card

Nevertheless, these ecodesign requirements are not the only ones that apply to servers and storage data products. Additionally, there are RoHS, WEEE, REACH SVHC, and Persistent Organic Pollutant POP.

If you have any questions about the environmental requirements applicable to servers, do not hesitate to contact Enviropass.