Glossary - K

This is a glossary of older terms. While many of the definitions are unchanged, some of the definitions may be out of date and some of the terms may no longer be in use in the Data Center industry. This legacy glossary provides definitions for hundreds of information and communications technology (ICT) and data center terms and acronyms. Arranged alphabetically and searchable, the glossary explains common industry vocabulary.

1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z
Kelvin (K)

The SI unit of thermodynamic temperature. It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Boltzmann constant k to be 1.380 649 x 10-23 when expressed in the unit J K-1, which is equal to kg m2 s-2 K-1, where the kilogram, meter and second are defined in terms of h, c and ΔνCs. Source: BIPM

Keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) Switch
A piece of hardware that connects two or more computers to a single keyboard, monitor, and mouse
Kilogram (kg)

The SI unit of mass. It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.626 070 15 × 10-34 when expressed in the unit J s, which is equal to kg m2 s-1, where the meter and the second are defined in terms of c and ΔνCs. Source: BIPM

Kilowatt

A measure of 1,000 watts of electrical power. Source: Oxford Languages

Kilowatt-hour

A measure of electrical energy equivalent to a power consumption of 1,000 watts for 1 hour. Source: Oxford Languages

kPa

Kilopascal a unit of pressure. Source: ASHRAE

KPI

Key performance indicator. Source: Intel

KW

Kilowatt a typical size of a racked set of servers 5-60 KW. Source: ASHRAE

kWh

Kilowatts times hour Source: ASHRAE