Sun Microsystems Launches Environmental Initiative
with "Eco-Responsible" Processor
by Dave Bell
Embracing the concept of eco-responsibility, Sun Microsystems is promoting more efficient network computing to conserve energy and natural resources by automating and digitizing paper-based processes, and reducing air pollution by connecting people in ways that minimize the need for fossil fuel-based travel. "Environmental computing isn't an oxymoron," according to Sun. "It's a challenge that the IT industry -- vendors and customers alike -- must forcefully meet as networks grow larger, natural resources dwindle, and energy prices soar."
Sun took the occasion of its Summit on 21st Century Eco-Responsibility to introduce what it calls "the industry's first eco-responsible microprocessor," the UltraSPARC T1 with CoolThreads technology. With up to 32 simultaneous processing threads, it draws less power and generates less heat than a light bulb, according to Sun. The UltraSPARC T1 can provide up to eight processing cores with four threads per core, like a rack of servers on one chip.
"Energy efficiency is a competitive advantage in the automotive industry and in the markets for everything from airplanes to refrigerators," said Sun CTO Greg Papadopoulos. "It's high time we bring the same focus and competitive zeal -- the same level of responsibility to the environment -- to our industry."
Sun's practice of eco-responsibility centers on improving energy efficiency, choosing less harmful materials, reusing and recycling resources, providing commute-free remote access work environments for employees, and developing energy-efficient products, such as the UltraSPARC T1 processor and x64 line of servers.
The Summit on 21st Century Eco-Responsibility brought together representatives from the US Green Building Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, Rocky Mountain Institute, and Stanford University to examine how "the emerging energy crisis, coupled with the growth of the global technology network, has resulted in massive increases in energy costs and product consumption, and what actions industry can take to adopt practices and design technologies that consume less and deliver more."
Sun is hoping to bring industry and government leaders on board in support
of eco-responsibility through a series of conferences in partnership with
the EPA scheduled to begin on January 31, 2006. The focus will be on innovative
ways to reduce energy use in the enterprise servers that power the world's
computers.