In the weeks leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 4th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we’ve been getting to know our 11 semi-finalists. Today, meet our final semi-finalist,Servergy.
When Bill Mapp, the founder and CEO of Servergy, launched his information technology (IT)/hardware innovation and design startup in the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, friends and family thought he was crazy. At the time many people held the belief that the IT and hardware business was dead, but Mapp pushed forward anyway.
“I believed in what I was doing to help change the world, and it was never a question in my mind. I haven't looked back since. I knew I was in good company with other great American startup stories and global brands getting their start in the trough of the Great Depression,” Mapp said.
Servergy is a US-based cleantech IT innovation lab and original design manufacturer (ODM) with headquarters in North Dallas, Texas. The company was founded with the belief that leveraging the power and potential of clean and green technologies in exciting new ways can help create a more sustainable and purpose-driven company and world in which we live.
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In addition to its technology labs in Texas, Servergy is best known for its CTS-1000 server — an ultra-high-efficiency, high I/O, hyper-density Cleantech Server® with power consumption of around 100 watts at full usage. For those not up to speed on server technology lingo, I/O stands for Input/Output virtualization and enables lower costs and improved performance of servers in enterprise environments.
This is important when considering the growing demand for data centers worldwide — with some projections estimating that IP traffic will reach 7.7 zettabytes (a zettabyte is equal to a billion terabytes) by the end of 2017 — and the growing number of tech companies investing in making theirs as energy-efficient as possible.
Servergy says the CTS-1000 server reduces servers' energy, cooling, space, weight, water and carbon footprints by up to 90 percent or more for global data centers, and increases the I/O and compute density up to 16x compared with traditional servers. According to the company, for every $1 spent, clients typically receive $5 back in three years or less. The CTS-1000 is designed and built in the US, weighs around 9 lbs, and its footprint is similar to the size of a legal pad.
When asked to put this into layman’s terms, Mapp explained, “Servers are the ‘engines’ of the Internet so, in effect, Servergy has redesigned the engines of the Internet to make them more energy-efficient and eco-friendly. … Our patented technology can be used for other information technologies such as storage, networking and embedded applications globally. Servers are just the tip of the iceberg.”
In addition to launching during an economic downturn, Servergy has faced other challenges, chief among them getting people to realize that cleantech is not limited to wind and solar technologies.
“We try to get people to look at information technology in exciting new ways and understand the huge global benefits of reimagining IT as cleantech,” Mapp said.
With the SB Innovation Open starting next week, Mapp is looking forward to sharing the Servergy story and meeting others who strive to achieve positive societal impact through their work.
“With the increasingly global economy moving at the speed of life — where the only constant is change — SB'14 is the premier global event converging at the intersection of brand, sustainability and design. … Servergy is excited about participating in helping shape the future with insights, tools and partners to help redesign a more purpose-driven business environment, society and planet.”
Servergy was listed in the CRN Top Data Center Stories for 2013; made the #4 top spot on the Electronic Engineering Times 2013 global Top 10 List of Most Disruptive Tech Startup Plays; and has recently been put on Gartner's Top Watch List of "Revolutionary Disruptors" for the coming "Data Center Storm."