green IT
The discussions about responsibility for our environment and the excessive use of energy have also reached information technology, where they have led to the term Green IT. It is a trend that meets the increasing environmental awareness and stands for the development of environmentally friendly hardware and software and for energy saving.
With Green-IT, IT technology is doing its part to stop climate change. The primary aim is to reduce energy consumption. The energy-saving approach starts with the processors with low supply voltage, the LV processors and the ULV processors, continues with the supply units, which operate with dynamic, load-controlled efficiencies with Digital Power and Dynamic Bus Voltage( DBV), and ends with the servers and peripheral devices, whose energy consumption can be controlled by means of power management.
Furthermore, energy savings include software components and energy-saving virtualizations, and above all include the data centers and server rooms, which use Enterprise Power and Thermal Management( EPTM) to reduce energy consumption in relation to the computing power of the servers and the heat generated by cooling.
Green IT for networks
In addition to the component level, servers and data centers, another potential energy savings lies with networks. Although the focus is still on data transport performance, energy can be saved through optimal choice of network components and infrastructure. For example, a faster switch, while requiring significantly more energy, can help save energy while maintaining the same performance. So can fiber optic cabling instead of copper cabling. The IEEE has also addressed the issue of energy efficiency in Ethernet in its 802.3azworking group, Energy Efficient Ethernet( EEE).
Another aspect of Green IT is the energy and material expenditures, resource consumption, and environmental impact of manufacturing, distributing, and using computers. This involves the release of hazardous substances in production and in the product and the recycling of resources used, such as precious metals.
Green IT in the service sector
The service sector is also taking advantage of the hype of Green-IT through the argument of CO2 savings. Webinars, webcasts or web conferences are corresponding service offerings that are becoming increasingly popular and like to use the Green-IT label for their carbon dioxide savings.
The topic of Green-IT is being discussed in standardization bodies and government agencies. Attempts are being made to define standards that support companies in their decisions. With"The Green Grid", an association has been established to address the topic of Green-IT.
http://www.thegreengrid.org