Thermal mapping is coming to the data center in the form of new technology from HP.

Thermal Zone Mapping (TZM) gives server room operators a view of the hot and cool zones as well as air flows within a space. Armed with this map, they can address problem areas and tune their air conditioning for optimal results and power savings.

...As a result, HP said IT departments and data center staff can arrange and manage air conditioning for optimal cooling, increased energy efficiency and lower costs. The idea is to nip over cooling in the bud.

"My house has a much more sophisticated air conditioner than most data centers," said Paul Perez, an HP vice president for scalable datacenter infrastructure. "I can program it to vary the amount of cooling over time. We're trying to bring that level of sophistication to data centers."

An all-out implementation rings up in the neighborhood of $100,000. The technology joins HP's Dynamic Smart Cooling, a technology that automatically adjust cooling to providing chilled air where it's most needed. You can watch some videos on the technology at HP's website (hence the screengrab above). Dynamic Smart Cooling is due out this summer, or what remains of it.