Green Computing

1. Green Computing MBA 737 – Professor Chen April 22, 2008 Aaron Roush

2. Outline • Definition – What is “green” computing? • Advantages • Implementation • Alternate means of power • Virtualization • Thin clients • Power management • New hardware • Recycling • Criticisms • Conclusion

3. Definition • “The practice of using computing resources efficiently” • Primary methods • Reduce power consumption • Reduce “e-waste”

4. First Thoughts… • Not practical • Help the environment, but at a high cost

5. Advantages • Save money by reducing power consumption • Power to run and cool • Cost of $2,628 per average server per year • Average and projected power costs • Ten years ago: 20 cents of every dollar • Today: 50 cents of every dollar • By 2010: 70 cents of every dollar

6. Advantages • Save environment by reducing waste • Power reduction reduces green house gas emissions • Use IT resources more efficiently • Environmentally friendly products • Recycling initiatives • Extend lifecycles of IT infrastructure and replace assets less often

7. Implementation • Alternate means of power • Virtualization • Thin clients • Power management • New hardware • Recycling

8. Alternate Means of Power • Use cleaner power sources for IT needs • Wind mills • Hydro electric • Solar • Nuclear • “Twibright Exciter” • Examples • HSBC – Niagara Falls • Google – Columbia River, OR

9. Alternate Means of Power • Cleaner – No carbon emissions from coal • Lower cost electricity • Not always practical

10. Virtualization • Splitting physical hardware into two or more logical platforms • Sun Microsystems research • 70% of servers run one application • 10% run applications no one uses • Make better use of current resources • Reduce costs • Capital expense • Power usage

11. Thin Clients • Provide only an interface for the user • Citrix • Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Connection • Typical features • Only monitor, keyboard, and mouse • No processing • No hard disk • Also known as • Lean client • Graphical terminal • Diskless nodes

12. Thin Client • Increase life-cycle • Upgrade servers for increased power and keep the same thin client • Reduce waste • Usually cheaper than a stand alone work station

13. Power Management • Enable sleep and hibernate modes • Turns off almost all PC components • “One Watt Initiative” • Reduce stand-by power consumption to one watt • Executive Order 13221 signed in 2001 – All government bodies held to this standard • CPU designs • AMD – Cool’n’Quiet • Intel - SpeedStep • Reduce CPU core voltage, clock rate, or both • Reduced power consumption • Slower speed

14. Power Management • Run servers at higher temperatures • Unplug extra case fans • Increase data center ambient tempurature • Can cause server/workstation damage if not implemented carefully

15. Power Management • Supporting Organizations • Energy Star Program • Instituted by the EPA in 1992 • Version 4.0 released in July 2007 • Power consumption guidelines • TCO Certification • Versioned by years • Rates emissions and power usage • Commonly found on monitors

16. Power Management • Supporting Organizations • Green Grid • “Dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and business computing ecosystems” • Members • Intel, AMD, Microsoft, Dell, Sun Microsystems, and more

17. New Hardware • Lower power computer designs • Slower processors • Flash memory • LCD monitors • Sample manufacturers • Everex • Linutop • Systemax

18. New Hardware • Intel’s new CPU design • 45 nm High-k silicon technology • Code name “Penryn” • Based on Hafnium transistors • Reduced power consumption • Fun facts about 45 nm technology • Halogen and lead free by 2008

19. New Hardware • Power supplies • Normally 70 – 75% efficient • “80 PLUS” • New standard with at least 80% efficiency • Energy Star 4.0 requires 80 PLUS power supplies

20. New Hardware • Resources • Resellers • GreenMachineShop • NComputing • Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) • Select hardware based on “environmental attributes”

21. Recycling • 2.63 million tons of e-waste generated in the United States in 2005 • E-waste accounts for 2% of landfills, but over 70% of toxic waste • Implementation • Trade-in programs – Ex: HP • Paid $50 to trade in old printers • Use more recyclable materials

22. Recycling • Regulations • Handled at the state level in the U.S. • European Union • Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) • Holds manufactures responsible for e-waste disposal at end-of-life • Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) • “Lead-free” directive • Restrict six hazardous substances commonly found in elecrical equipment

23. Criticisms • Small help for effort spent • Simply turn off lights • Recycling practices • Of the 2.63 million tons of e-waste, only 330,000 tons were reclaimed • 50 – 80% shipped to other countries • “…Chinese villages have become e-waste dumping centers, where workers use hammers to beat mounds of discarded monitors and PCs into chunks that spew toxins into the air and their lungs”

24. Conclusion • Green computing can save money and the environment • Easy to implement in most cases • Some problems, but a step in the right direction

25. Questions?