green IT in pictures

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  DiData staff turning green
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  What does a real green data center look like?

• U.S. to use climate to help cool exascale systems

  By Patrick Thibodeau | 08 February, 2012 23:10

  In a picturesque spot overlooking San Francisco Bay, the U.S. Department of Energy's Berkeley Lab has begun building a new computing center that will one day house exascale systems.

• In Search of an Energy Yardstick

  By Mary Brandel | 31 January, 2012 04:59

  Earlier this fall, Google made an announcement that in many ways foretells the future of data center efficiency metrics. The search giant not only disclosed its total power consumption and carbon emissions (mostly attributable to its data centers), but also released estimates of its per-user and per-search energy consumption. With this information -- and given that a billion Google searches occur per day -- it was possible to calculate that searches account for 12.5 million watts of the company's 260 million watt total.

• Aussies worry about recycling phones

  By AAP | 08 November, 2011 17:56

  A majority of Australians are putting off recycling their mobile phones because they're concerned about protecting their personal data.

• Facebook-led foundation pushes for open data center tech

  By Sharon Gaudin | 28 October, 2011 05:44

  Facebook and several of its high-tech partners are rethinking how companies can handle big data with low-cost computing centers.

• Test Aims to Disprove Data Center Dogma

  By Patrick Thobodeau | 25 October, 2011 00:59

  Since January, David Filas, a data center engineer at Trinity Health, has been running decommissioned servers, networking gear and storage systems in a simple generator shed on the grounds of the healthcare provider's headquarters in Novi, Mich.

• While we wait for cold fusion, let's update the ECPA

  By Mark Gibbs | 24 October, 2011 15:29

  Well, last week's Backspin on Rossi's E-Cat power generator was fun. Between that column and a blog posting I made on the topic over at Forbes, I've had more than 100 comments and an insane number of page views which all goes to show just what a hot topic alternative energy is.

• Microsoft strong-arms hardware makers into social responsibility

  By Julie Bort | 14 October, 2011 07:42

  After years of failing to get Microsoft to adopt a formal environmental sustainability policy, shareholders seem to have won: Microsoft will now insist its hardware suppliers comply with the company's social responsibility requirements.

• Top 8 ways feds (and corporate users) can take advantage of green IT

  By Michael Cooney | 09 August, 2011 03:41

  How does the federal government go about implementing green IT? According to a report out today from the Government Accountability Office, the feds have adopted a number of practices that are useful not just for government IT but all manner of private and public company IT groups as well. These include everything from dedicated funding for green products, to improved employee training and reducing use of paper.

• Being green for love and profit

  By David Ramli | 27 October, 2009 16:37

  Once upon a time, the idea of using expensive, environmentally-friendly IT was expected to flop in the harsh world of business. But fast-forward to 2009 and green technology has leapt off the drawing boards into the realm of profitability.

• Beware Worthless Claims in Green Clothing

  By Bill Snyder | 13 April, 2010 06:45

  Reducing power usage and cutting carbon emissions is probably the right thing to do for the future of the planet. But keep this is mind: Green is a powerful marketing term right now and cost-savings promises are part of the marketing pitch. Like all marketing promises, results vary. One example: The amount of money a typical consumer can save by using or powering down energy-efficient computers, printers and the like is often small--in the case of an up-to-date laptop, the energy savings add up to perhaps just $10 a year.

• What role should IT play in reining in energy costs?

  By Tam Harbert | 06 February, 2009 08:58

  IT buys the technology; facilities buys the energy. That's the way it's always been in corporate America. But that may be changing.

• Companies are overstating green claims, consumers say

  By Mikael Ricknäs | 08 January, 2009 08:11

  Sixty-five percent of consumers think some companies overstate their green credentials to sell more products, according to research presented by industry organization Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) at the International Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday.

• Sun, wind, algae: Future data-center power sources?

  By Ann Bednarz | 26 November, 2008 07:37

  The potential for wind power in the upper Midwest United States has led some to dub the region the "Saudi Arabia of wind." But tapping that potential isn't easy. In particular, the difficulty of integrating wind power into utility companies' transmission grids is hampering adoption.