Energy-efficient computing initiative
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The Climate Savers Computing Initiative aims to conserve energy by setting aggressive new targets for energy-efficient computers and components.
Intel Corp. and Google have announced an initiative to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy-efficient computing.
The companies launched the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, whose goal is to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting aggressive new targets for energy-efficient computers and components. The initiative will also promote the adoption of energy-efficient computers and power management tools worldwide.
Joining the companies in this effort are the Environmental Protection Agency, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Dell, EDS, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, PG&E, World Wildlife Fund and more than 25 other organizations.
The average desktop computer 'wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power,' said Urs Holzle, senior vice president of operations and a Google fellow.
The initiative is setting a 90 percent efficiency target for power supplies, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year and save more than $5.5 billion in energy costs, he said.
The initiative includes a coalition of computer manufacturers, chip makers, environmental groups, energy companies, retailers and government agencies. The group will formalize its membership in coming weeks.
By 2010, the initiative expects to cut greenhouse gas emission by an amount equal to removing more than 11 million cars from the road or shutting down 20 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants, said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group.
Chip maker AMD is already involved in efforts to reduce consumption of energy and power. The company is making strides toward energy-efficient computing through its next-generation Opteron microprocessor and various computing initiatives. In addition, AMD has formed the Green Grid, an initiative that brings together companies such as Dell, HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems whose technologies form the ecosystem of data centers. The goal is to ensure the development of more energy-efficient data centers, computers, networks and storage gear.