PRESS KIT - Eco-Technology Research Papers
Intel and Microsoft funded a series of peer-reviewed research papers that assess the energy and environmental impacts of information technology in several unique cases. Intel and Microsoft recognize the need for continued innovation in computing technologies to keep pace with worldwide growth. Our two companies have a shared interest in demonstrating how the technology industry can impact the environmental footprint of a variety of other industries, with the aim of lessening our collective burden on the planet.
The research was co-authored by Dr. Jonathan Koomey, Project Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Consulting Professor at Stanford University and visiting professor at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Dr. Koomey is one of the leading international experts on electricity used by computers, office equipment, and data centers, as well as in energy conservation technology, economics, policy and global climate change.
The three papers explore, in a peer-reviewed method, the historical trends and future implications of Information Technology making a positive impact in reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions.
- Trends in Electrical Efficiency in Computer Performance
Research on the long term trends in the electrical efficiency of computation, which implies that mobile devices will rapidly become much more power-efficient and ubiquitous. The energy efficiency of computation has doubled about every 1.6 years since 1945 with remarkable constancy – a trend that has important implications for mobile computing technologies. - Server Energy Efficiency Implications on Large Scale Datacenters
Trends in servers are pushing cloud computing providers and in-house data center operators to restructure their organizations, eliminate misplaced incentives, increase capital utilization, and change the ways they specify and purchase equipment. - Tuning in to Energy & Carbon-light Music
The research compares the energy and CO2 emissions associated with downloading music to those from buying a physical CD, concluding that downloading music yields 40-80% reductions compared to buying a CD. These findings demonstrate one concrete example of effectively using technology for improved environmental outcomes, i.e., the benefits of dematerialization using IT.