Intel aims to slash power consumption for the next billion PCs

Intel has announced plans to place a much greater emphasis on green technology and reducing the environmental footprint of its products, warning that there will be two billion PCs in the world by 2014.

The company estimates that the first billion PCs, a milestone reached in 2007, consume around 320 terawatts per hour, but that the next billion will use just 151 terawatts, while providing 17 times as much computing capability.

"The reason the energy used is half is Moore's Law - you saw a big fall in power consumption when we moved to the new microarchitecture - and smaller form factors," Lorie Wigle, general manager of Intel's Eco-Tech Office, told V3.co.uk.

"Smaller devices are more power optimised if they are built around a battery. But the biggest thing people can do to save power is use power management software, particularly within the enterprise."

Wigle explained that that adoption of power management systems is still very low in the enterprise, and that there is a disconnect between those running the systems and the accounts department paying the bills for power consumption.

Datacentre managers are much more power conscious, she said, and metrics used in that sector are filtered down to clients, but it is a slow process.

Intel recently participated in a project in Paris to build a positive energy building that provides more power than it uses.

The company developed a Personal Office Energy Manager which links into the building management system and displays power use for each person's PC or smartphone.

The system uses a graphical interface to provide instant feedback on power use across the building, and allows different people and departments to compete against each other to save the most power.

"This draws you in and makes you want to get engaged. Research showed that many people are initially intrigued by power management systems but then lose interest. This graphical approach encourages people to actively save power," Wigle said.