INDUSTRY

Miles per Gallon Equivalency Metric for Server Power Consumption to Help Customers Gauge Energy-Efficiency -- At a recent working group, hosted by Sun Microsystems, some of the brightest technology minds in Silicon Valley, including representatives from Sun, AMD and others came together with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Lawrence Berkeley Labs 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 will enable those purchasing servers to evaluate energy consumption in a standardized way, for the first time. Following the recent working group, 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 the unquenchable thirst for compute 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 massive savings. Until there is a metric that allows for equitable equipment comparisons manufacturers can't compete on a level playing field and that's not good for customers or the environment. Armed with better information businesses of all sizes will be able to make better informed decisions about total cost of ownership. 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. Sun launched the UltraSPARC T1 processor in November 2005, the first processor designed for eco-responsibility - with breakthrough innovations in power, cooling, and performance, further demonstrating its commitment to putting innovation to work for the environment. The company is also active in other environmental stewardship programs including the CEO Business Roundtable S.E.E. Change Initiative, ICT & Sustainability Forum and Sustainable Silicon Valley, in addition to the EPA Climate Leaders program For more information on Sun's Eco-Responsibility products, visit: its Web site.