IT industry joins energy efficiency push

The IT industry is joining the push toward energy efficiency by developing new power management technology to curb the sector’s harmful contribution to climate change, operators say.

The global computing industry has recently been criticized for the high carbon dioxide emissions of its data centers and energy consumption.
The sector contributes 2 percent of global carbon emissions, equaling that of the aviation industry, according to U.S. research firm Gartner.

In moves toward clawing back some of that damage, a number of IT companies are developing or upgrading power management technology which can turn off computers and other devices automatically, saving money and the planet.

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc plans to launch technology called EnergyWise in February. It says the software can monitor the energy consumption of electronic devices in the workplace and switch them off when idle.

Reuters