Manu
07-12-2001, 02:17 PM
Power of Conservation
Lower Energy Use May Lead to Higher Profits for Tech Firms
By Tim Bajarin
Special to ABCNEWS.com
July 12 — In one of my recent columns I wrote about how using sub-1 watt powered processors in laptops would allow portable computers to have a longer battery life.
Transmeta has pioneered this market with its Crusoe chips, and Intel is following suit and starting to champion processors that extend battery life as well. However, I don't think Transmeta realized how important its work was in creating low power processors, especially given today's energy crisis in California and possibly throughout the United States.
I oversee the largest CRM shows in the states and I get to talk to a lot of IT managers. At the most recent show in Boston, I spent some time with IT directors from California. They had come to hear me speak about what was new in portable computing and it was my overview on low power processors that got their attention, even though I highlighted all the new products in this field.
They told me their bosses have started asking them to look into how to cut back on energy usage on corporate campuses. In California, the governor requested all Californians try to cut back at least 7 percent on energy consumption to help avoid rolling blackouts.
To his and many people's surprise, consumers and businesses have gone the extra mile and actually cut back 11 percent. But, these California-based managers said their bosses wanted a more aggressive move if possible.
Creative Problem Solving
One idea that was high on their list was taking out CRT displays and replacing them with flat panel monitors on desktop PCs. A flat panel monitor uses one-fifth the energy of a traditional CRT display. This is much more feasible today since flat panel monitors have come down dramatically in price.
Interestingly, the IT managers asked me if the Transmeta chip was going to be in desktop PCs anytime soon as they also wanted to cut energy consumption on desktops. The Crusoe is already in RLX Technologies servers and is being used in server farms to help cut energy use. But, given the current energy problems, I expect to see sub-1 watt processors in desktop machines very soon.
Another idea they were kicking around was displacing as many desktops with laptops as possible. While laptops are still more expensive then most desktop computers, they too have come down in price thanks to lower costs on flat panel TFT displays.
But, one manager told me he asked the building manager to look into using an innovative power management technique where laptops are in use and plugged in.
In these areas, they would cycle the power to the laptops in one-hour increments. For one hour, the laptop would get power, and in the next hour, the power would automatically be turned off. During that time, the laptop would work on battery power. In an 8-hour workday, the laptop would be receiving power 50 percent of the time while recharging the battery. The rest of the time it would work on battery power.
Of course, there is another incentive to cut power consumption at the office. At a time when corporate profits are being squeezed, the idea of saving money through this type of conservation really appeals to CEOs who have to answer to Wall Street every quarter.
So, portable computers are now being looked at as technology that is not only strategic for mobile professionals, but also a key mainstream computing platform that helps companies conserve energy and cut electricity costs.
www.abcnews.com (http://www.abcnews.com)
------------------
Manu Narayan
Lower Energy Use May Lead to Higher Profits for Tech Firms
By Tim Bajarin
Special to ABCNEWS.com
July 12 — In one of my recent columns I wrote about how using sub-1 watt powered processors in laptops would allow portable computers to have a longer battery life.
Transmeta has pioneered this market with its Crusoe chips, and Intel is following suit and starting to champion processors that extend battery life as well. However, I don't think Transmeta realized how important its work was in creating low power processors, especially given today's energy crisis in California and possibly throughout the United States.
I oversee the largest CRM shows in the states and I get to talk to a lot of IT managers. At the most recent show in Boston, I spent some time with IT directors from California. They had come to hear me speak about what was new in portable computing and it was my overview on low power processors that got their attention, even though I highlighted all the new products in this field.
They told me their bosses have started asking them to look into how to cut back on energy usage on corporate campuses. In California, the governor requested all Californians try to cut back at least 7 percent on energy consumption to help avoid rolling blackouts.
To his and many people's surprise, consumers and businesses have gone the extra mile and actually cut back 11 percent. But, these California-based managers said their bosses wanted a more aggressive move if possible.
Creative Problem Solving
One idea that was high on their list was taking out CRT displays and replacing them with flat panel monitors on desktop PCs. A flat panel monitor uses one-fifth the energy of a traditional CRT display. This is much more feasible today since flat panel monitors have come down dramatically in price.
Interestingly, the IT managers asked me if the Transmeta chip was going to be in desktop PCs anytime soon as they also wanted to cut energy consumption on desktops. The Crusoe is already in RLX Technologies servers and is being used in server farms to help cut energy use. But, given the current energy problems, I expect to see sub-1 watt processors in desktop machines very soon.
Another idea they were kicking around was displacing as many desktops with laptops as possible. While laptops are still more expensive then most desktop computers, they too have come down in price thanks to lower costs on flat panel TFT displays.
But, one manager told me he asked the building manager to look into using an innovative power management technique where laptops are in use and plugged in.
In these areas, they would cycle the power to the laptops in one-hour increments. For one hour, the laptop would get power, and in the next hour, the power would automatically be turned off. During that time, the laptop would work on battery power. In an 8-hour workday, the laptop would be receiving power 50 percent of the time while recharging the battery. The rest of the time it would work on battery power.
Of course, there is another incentive to cut power consumption at the office. At a time when corporate profits are being squeezed, the idea of saving money through this type of conservation really appeals to CEOs who have to answer to Wall Street every quarter.
So, portable computers are now being looked at as technology that is not only strategic for mobile professionals, but also a key mainstream computing platform that helps companies conserve energy and cut electricity costs.
www.abcnews.com (http://www.abcnews.com)
------------------
Manu Narayan