Data processing workload control in a data center is provided, where the data center includes computers whose operations consume power and a workload controller composed of automated computing machinery that controls the overall data processing workload in the data center. The data processing workload is composed of a plurality of specific data processing jobs, including scheduling, by the workload controller in dependence upon power performance information, the data processing jobs for execution upon the computers in the data center, the power performance information including power consumption at a plurality of power-conserving states for each computer in the data center that executes data processing jobs and dispatching by the workload controller the data processing jobs as scheduled for execution on computers in the data center.