Google backs green computer plan (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Search engine giant Google and US semiconductor firm Intel have thrown their weight behind a massive scheme to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The ambitious plan sets out an industry-wide target to cut the amount of energy computers consume by 2010.

The scheme is expected to cut emissions by 54 million tonnes a year - equal to 11 million cars or 20 coal-fired power plants, company officials say.

Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Microsoft have all signed up to the campaign.
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Meanwhile in the UK, a new government taskforce has been formed to develop individual computers which use 98% less energy than standard PCs.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6747323.stm

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Intel may be trying to sell more Core II chips

I've been looking for a new motherboard/processor lately. The Pentium-D Intel chips are priced very attractively, but the salespeople have all tried to bump me up by making the case that the Core II runs at a lower current draw.

The Pentium-D series are major power hogs; Core II are much more energy-efficient, and it's easier to change the clock speed on-the-fly, especially in Linux. Although this is of great interest to "overclockers", some people deliberately underclock their machines while doing light-duty tasks, like just playing MP3s or word processing (i.e., writing).

I expect that when the next generation of power-hog chips come out, Intel will soft-pedal their commitment to all things green.

--p!