Source: Geekwire, 2011. Full study by Jonathan Koomey, Ph.D. Data centers are often described as “electricity-sucking power hogs.” A new report from a Stanford University professor shows that electricity used to power data centers actually slowed significantly between 2005 and 2010. “This slowing was the result of the 2008-9 economic crisis, the increased prevalence of virtualization in data centers, and the industry’s efforts to improve efficiency of these facilities since 2005,” writes Stanford’s Jonathan Koomey, who prepared the report on behalf of The New York Times.