A group of some of the biggest technology companies said they’ve committed to a plan to improve the power efficiency of equipment they make and use.
The Climate Savers Computing Initiative, which includes companies such as Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc., aims to improve the efficiency of power sources for computers and servers and encourage end users to take advantage of underused power management techniques.
Only about 50 per cent of the power that leaves a power outlet reaches a PC, because inefficient power cords leak energy, Google’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Urs Holzle said Tuesday during a press conference to announce the program.
Climate Savers has defined a series of standards for power supply efficiency in servers and PCs that it suggests members adopt between now and July 2010. By 2010, the Climate Savers standard will define a power supply that is above 95 per cent efficient, Holzle said.
The program asks manufacturing members to build products to the standard and companies to pledge to buy products that have the improved power supplies.