Tech Companies Join to Promote Green PCs

Intel and Google are heading a group comprised of both technology and environmental groups aimed at promoting energy efficient computing.

Called the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, the group also includes Dell, HP, Microsoft, The World Wildlife Fund and about 20 other companies and groups. Altogether, the group aims to save $5.5 billion USD in energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons.

Such a reduction would essentially be the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off the road, or shutting down about 20 large coal-fired power plants. The group says it is aiming to make these savings a reality by the end of this decade.

A lot of the waste is from a computer's power supply itself. About half of the power delivered to it from the wall socket is never used, says the group. Simply making these more efficient users of power could make a big difference, and the group is setting a 90 percent efficiency target.

It can be done - Google's servers already meet this goal, the search company says.

"We are asking businesses and individuals throughout the world to join with us to institute better power management of their computing equipment and purchase energy-efficient computers," Google Fellow and operations chief Urs Htzlzle said.

Individuals can also participate by signing up at the group's website pledging to purchase certified products as well as optimize their current setups to make them more efficient.

The name comes from a preexisting initiative by the WWF called Climate Savers, which asks companies to pledge to reduce their carbon footprints.