Energy-Efficient Server Bill Passed by Senate

December 11, 2006

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The U.S. Senate has approved H.R. 5646, a bill that proclaims it is “in the best interest of the United States for purchasers of computer servers to give high priority to energy efficiency as a factor in determining best value and performance for purchases of computer servers,” CNET reports. President Bush is poised to sign the bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, into law.

The law would instruct the EPA to conduct a data center and server technology study that analyzes cost savings from the use of energy-efficient products.

But it’s not clear what effect such a law would have, since high-tech companies have already been working to reduce the energy consumption of their products – especially recently.

Dell has unveiled two PowerEdgeservers that the company says underscores its commitment to environmental responsibility and its goal to design the most energy-efficient products.

Dell’s not alone – manufacturers such as IBM, HP and Sun have made recent announcements concerning the energy efficiency of their systems. IBM recently announced that it would launch a new business unit in 2007 that will focus on environmental technologies. Hewlett-Packard announced a new energy management system, dubbed HP Dynamic Smart Cooling, that’s designed to deliver 20 to 45 percent savings in cooling energy costs. In addition, Sun has unveiled its Project BlackBox.

Just last week, technology companies including Google, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard met with federal regulators to discuss fears that volatile and expensive energy could hinder the tech sector.

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