Google and Intel head energy saving initiative

Global giants to save earth

Google and Intel are to co-operate on developing more energy-efficient computers and server systems. The world's number one Web search company and the leading chip maker have announced a broad programme designed to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Called the 'Climate Savers Computing Initiative', the initiative will set new efficiency goals for computers and software tools that manage power consumption. Computer makers Dell, HP, IBM and Lenovo have already singed up, as have Microsoft, the US Environmental Protection Agency and more than 25 environmental groups, companies and universities.

The programme comes at a time when Silicon Valley has made clean technology a priority as it seeks to play a greater role in reducing the harmful effects of climate change attributed to global warming.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin have thrown capital behind numerous environmentally friendly ventures, including the installation of one of the largest solar energy systems to power their sprawling headquarters.

More efficient computing could trim the use of electricity that now is being wasted as heat, which in turn, especially in large server centres, requires more power for air conditioning.

'Today, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power and the average server wastes one-third of its power,' Holzle said.

A 90 per cent standard would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons a year and save more than $5.5 billion in energy costs, he said at a meeting at Google's headquarters in Mountain View.

The program also includes the World Wildlife Fund, which licensed the initiative from its WWF Climate Savers program, and California utility PG&E, which offers rebate programs for energy savings products.