In mid 2007, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) formed to address the issue of computing efficiency.
This nonprofit consortium brings together eco-conscious consumers, businesses and conservation organizations to reduce computer power consumption by 50 percent by 2010 by making new computers more power-efficient, and increasing the use of power management on existing computers. Leading members include World Wildlife Fund, Supermicro, Sun, Pacific Gas & Electric, NEC, Microsoft, Marvell Semiconductor, Lenovo, Intel, HP, Hitachi, Google, Fujitsu, EDS, eBay, Delta Electronics, Dell and AMD. CSCI was started in the spirit of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Savers program, which has mobilized over a dozen companies since 1999 to cut CO2 emissions, demonstrating that reducing emissions is good business. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative's goal is to promote smart technologies and computing practices that can both improve the efficiency of a computer's power delivery and reduce the energy consumed when the computer is in an inactive state. Computers can be made more energy efficient with power management features that put the computer into a "sleep" mode when it is idle. Power management features are already standard on most computers today, but nine out of 10 desktop computer users have the features disabled. If each of CeBIT's estimated 480,000 attendees enabled power management on a desktop computer today, together we could save over 113 million kilowatt hours per year of electricity—equivalent to taking more than 17,000 cars off the road. For even greater energy reductions, new PCs and servers can use more energy-efficient components to utilize 90 percent or more of the electricity delivered to them. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative currently recommends Energy Star 4.0–compliant PCs, which feature power supplies that are at least 80 percent efficient. In future years, the Initiative's criteria gradually increase to 90 percent efficient by 2010. Likewise, the Initiative recommends servers with 85 percent efficient power supplies in the first year, increasing to 92 percent efficiency by 2010. The Initiative's Web site includes an online catalog of more than 300 energy-efficient desktop PCs, laptops, servers, power supplies, power supply components, motherboards, and power management software. To date, more than 150 companies and organizations have joined the Initiative, and thousands of individuals have pledged their support. By joining the Initiative, individuals and businesses become part of a powerful collective voice demanding energy-efficient computers, thereby driving the cost penalty lower through higher volumes.
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