Performance is cool:
Exploring processors and energy efficiency
October 16 - 20, TechRepublic - Now taking place!
Expert: Dr. Dileep Bhandarkar, Intel
Bring your questions—and, of course, your opinions—to this special week-long conversation with Dr. Dileep Bhandarkar of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group, October 16-20. Jump in and ask him anything you want to know about processor architecture, silicon heat issues, competing platform technologies, and energy efficiency.

The issues in context...

Why energy efficiency matters to IT
By George Ou



Energy efficiency isn't just something that should matter to the energy conservationist, it's serious money.  For example, every 1000 watts running round the clock costs an average $65 per month in the USA (based on 9 cents per kilowatt*hour), and that doesn't begin to include the electricity needed to run the air conditioning to remove the heat generated from all of the computer equipment.  One hundred servers for example would consume $2,160 per month and 600 desktop PCs would consume $6,480 in electricity, again not counting air conditioning costs.  If energy consumption can be cut by 30% (which is easily doable), an organization using 100 servers and 600 desktops would save $2,592 per month plus a lower air conditioning bill which could easily double the savings.  For a mid-sized company with a mid-sized IT department, saving $4000 per month is significant.  If the company were ten times this size, the savings would be ten times as large.


So just how does IT cut power consumption and what makes a more energy efficient computer and data center?  There are many factors that dramatically affect energy efficiency and they are.

  • CPU TDP (Thermal Design Power) (example here)
  • Mobile computer components
  • Power supply efficiency (example here and here)
  • LCD versus CRT monitor (on the desktop)
  • Virtualization and server consolidation (introduction)
  • More power full multi-core CPUs enable virtualization (arrival of quad core)
  • Enabling power saving mode on energy star equipment
  • DC power distribution, data center level, rack level, or blade chassis level

    • Intel unleashes Quad Core at IDF Fall 2006
    By George Ou

    At the fall 2006 IDF (Intel Developer’s Conference), Intel widened its lead in the Server and Desktop market by trotting out four quad core server processors... Read more.


    Performance is cool: Exploring processors and energy efficiency
    October 16 - 20, TechRepublic - Join Now!

      A conversation with:
      Dr. Dileep Bhandarkar, Intel
      Architect at Large,
      Digital Enterprise Group

    I was on a panel during a Data Center Summit at the Fall 2006 IDF last week in San Francisco. There was a lot of discussion about energy efficiency at the system level and I mentioned that we need to consider the entire platform and take on all opportunities for energy efficiency. For example, power supplies often have efficiencies well below 80%. Intel is working with power supply makers to design more efficient power supplies albeit at a higher product cost.
    “80 PLUS is an innovative, electric utility-funded incentive program to integrate more energy-efficient power supplies into desktop computers and servers. The 80 PLUS performance specification requires power supplies in computers and servers to be 80% or greater energy efficient. This makes an 80 PLUS certified power supply up to 33% more efficient than current power supplies and translates to annual energy savings of approximately 85 kWh/year in desktop computers and 300 kWh/year in desktop-derived servers.”
    Source: http://www.80plus.org/
    Some one in the audience asked me what Intel was doing to get the system OEMs to use more efficient power supplies. While Intel can work with the system OEMs, there really needs to be a pull from the end consumer. Users value performance and evaluate acquisition cost more than operating cost over the life of the product today. The system OEMs will have little incentive to offer the higher priced efficient supplies unless the customers demonstrate they see value. The equipment buyers need to vote with their wallets to achieve the right result!
    Are you ready to pay more on your initial purchase if it saves you on your energy costs over the life of the product? Intel is working with the industry on many aspects of energy efficiency, but we need the user community to voice their support with appropriate buying behavior to make progress.


      Related Resources from Intel: