IT firms join forces on green scheme
13-06-2007
by Ciara O'Brien

Tech firms are going green with a new initiative to drive energy-efficient computing.

A number of high profile tech firms are teaming up with the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Wildlife Fund and other organisations to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save billions in energy costs.

Intel, Google, Dell, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft and EDS are just some of the firms getting involved in the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (www.climatesaverscomputing.org), which plans to set new targets for energy-efficient computers and components, and will promote the adoption of such computers and power management tools worldwide.

"Today, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power," said Urs Holzle, senior vice president of operations with Google. "The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is setting a new 90 percent efficiency target for power supplies, which if achieved, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year -- and save more than USD5.5 billion in energy costs.

The initiative has gained support from computer manufacturers and chip makers, as well as environmental groups, energy companies, retailers, government agencies and more. The manufacturers involved are committed to building energy-efficient products that at the very least meet the EPA's Energy Star guidelines.

Meanwhile, businesses must also make a commitment that they will use high efficiency systems for the majority of their corporate desktop PCs and volume server purchases, and use power management tools on their desktops PCs.

"By 2010, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative will cut greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equal to removing more than 11 million cars from the road or shutting down 20 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants -- a significant step in reducing the emissions affecting our planet," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group.

It's not only businesses who can get involved in the programme. Consumers too can do their part by signing up to buy a system certified by the initiative, and by using the site to learn how to take advantage of power-saving capabilities such as sleep and hibernate modes on their existing systems.

"This is the first time our Climate Savers program has been applied to an entire sector, engaging manufacturers, retailers, and consumers," said John Donoghue, senior vice president for the WWF. "We are pleased to join these industry leaders to provide solutions to address climate change."

Climate change is a hot topic at present, with experts predicting that we only have 10 years to act before global warming reaches a crisis point.