The World in 2030

The World in 2030 193
modern engine rooms that power the Internet and
corporate computing.
By 2010, I.B.M. plans to double the computing capacity
of its hundreds of data centers worldwide without
increasing power consumption, by using an array
of hardware, software and services. These include a
new cooling system that stores energy and chills the
data center only as needed; software to increase the
use of computers and automatically switch them to
standby mode when not needed; and 3-D modeling
and thermal engineering techniques to optimize the
air flow through data centers. 365
And a month or so after the I.B.M. announcement many
other major names in computing came together to form
‘The Climate Savers Computing Initiative’. 366 This is a loose
association made up of companies such as Google Inc.,
Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell
Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc., and it aims to improve the
efficiency of power sources for computers and servers and
encourage end users to take advantage of under-used power
management techniques. At present, the Initiative claims,
only about 50 per cent of the electricity that leaves a power
outlet reaches a PC because today’s inefficient power cables
leak energy.
The Climate Savers Initiative has defined a series of
standards for power supply efficiency in servers and PCs
that it suggests member companies adopt between now and
July 2010. By 2010, the Climate Savers standard will define a
power supply that is better than 95 per cent efficient (and as