Computer Industry, EPA Mull Energy-Efficiency Metric for Servers

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SANTA CLARA, -- Representatives from Sun Microsystems, AMD, and other industry leaders came together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Lawrence Berkeley Labs at a recent working group to define a standard metric to measure energy efficiency in server technology. Similar to the miles per gallon metric used by many in their decision to purchase a car this metric would, for the first time, enable those purchasing servers to evaluate energy consumption in a standardized way.

Andrew Fanara, team lead for Energy Star products at the EPA said, "The EPA is extremely happy to promote a dialogue around this topic with a broader array of stakeholders. The meeting went very well and was an important step toward the creation of an industry consensus benchmark for server energy efficiency. Furthermore, we're hearing a lot of positive interest on this topic from our counterparts in Europe where this issue is a growing concern."

As demand for computing power grows, so do the heat and cooling expenses that these powerful systems generate. In recent months, several key industry players, such as Google, have publicly recognized the impact of rising energy costs on their bottom line. With the number of users on the Web expected to rise by 300 million per year into the foreseeable future, even small improvements in Web server energy efficiency hold the promise of significant savings.

Computer makers say that until there is a metric that allows for equitable equipment comparisons, manufacturers can't compete on a level playing field. Armed with better information businesses of all sizes will be able to make better informed decisions about total cost of ownership, the companies say.

Edward Hunter, director for Sun's Eco Responsibility Initiative, added, "This is the right time for the industry to act on this important issue, and the impact will be felt for years to come. These critical issues of power and cooling in the data center are at the top of the agenda for our customers and other companies spanning multiple industries. Sun's initial steps to address these issues through our energy-efficient servers are only the beginning of a new awareness in our industry of how technology can do its part to save resources and have a positive impact on the environment."

Once defined, the proposed metric will enable IT purchasers to conduct side-by-side, industry-standard comparisons for energy efficiency in servers, similar to benchmark measurements such as SPEC and TPC widely used today to evaluate system speed and processing power. The formal metric resulting from the conversations started at this working group is expected to be made public in summer 2006.

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