VISIT2008 Green IT

The Case for Green IT –how to be a greener company

Dr. Bernd Kosch, Vice President Alliances

VISIT 2008 © Fujitsu Siemens Computers 2008 All rights reserved222

Environmental aspects of IT

IT reduces the environmental burden in other sectors (e.g.: buildings, transportation, manufacturing, power)

“Greenhouse gas emissions associated with making and powering theworld’s computers and telecom networks are growing fast… The good news is that information and communications technologies can reduce far more emissions than they generate.” (McKinsey, October 2008)

Due to its rapid growth, the share of the IT sector in environmental problems continues to rise fast

As a consequence, the challenge is to intensify IT usage while adopting environmentally cleaner IT concepts


Agenda

1. Faces and stakeholders of Green IT

2. Energy cost drives a Green IT business case

3. Conclusions and perspectives


Agenda





Faces of Green IT

Environmental impact of HW-products and productionprocesses

Materials, product life-span, recyclingLifecycle energy consumption(production – use phase – recycling)

Procurement and usage scenarios of IT (HW, SW, services) Investment policies derived from business ethics and strategies for long-term profitability IT usage scenarios and corporate IT-architecture derived from holistic cost control and carbon footprint minimization


Stakeholders in Green IT (1/2)

IT usersCSR / “good citizen” code of conduct calls for the adoption of clean IT and contributions to sustainability (generates brand value)Energy cost has become a major cost component, particularly for servers and storage systems (generates direct cost advantage)

IT vendors (HW, SW, services)Green IT can create new markets and new opportunities for differentiation - in areas where customers perceive benefitEnabling customers to adopt Green IT can improve image and positive awarenessIT vendors are also IT users and can be role models regarding the criteria listed above


Stakeholders in Green IT (2/2)

Government / NGOs / ConsortiaCan support market dynamics through standards, metrics and labeling schemes that improve transparencyCan issue and promote regulations / recommendations for markets with failing business incentives to support society goals (laws and public pressure)Prominent examples are

U.S. EPA (Energy Star Program)GreenpeaceThe Green Grid (TGG), Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI), System Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC)


Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy EfficiencyPublic Law 109-431

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR Program - August 2, 2007


The Green Grid Mission: Data Center Efficiency

● Define models and metrics that are meaningful and user-centric

● Develop standards, measurement methods, best practices and technologies to improve performance against these metrics

● Promote the adoption of energy efficient standards, processes, measurements and technologies


What we hope to achieve by 2010

• Goal is to improve computing energy efficiency by 50%– Collectively save €3.8 billion in energy costs

• Reduce global CO2 emissions from computing platforms by 54 million tons per year

– Equivalent to removal of 11 million autos– Or eliminating 20 coal plants from the planet

– Or planting ~65,000 km2 (25,000 sq. miles) of trees


SPECpower_ssj2008 benchmark

… is the first industry-standard SPEC benchmark that evaluates the power and performance characteristics of volume server class computers

The initial benchmark addresses the performance of server-side Java, and additional workloads are planned


5.5

Green IT initiatives by Greenpeace: Vendor rating, product guide and “campaigns“


Green IT by Fujitsu Siemens Computers

Fujitsu Siemens Computers (and its predecessors) have always been a pioneer and role model of Green IT:

Recycling since 1988 Green PC since 1993Green system board since 2002Always ahead of environmental regulations Ranked greenest IT vendor by Greenpeace in summer 2008Active member and supporter of the relevant consortia and institutionsClassification of Fujitsu Siemens Computers’ HW products by own labeling scheme starting in November 2008

Holistic Green IT approach since the 90s: development / production / products / reuse & recycling / own operations


Fujitsu Siemens Computers Green Label

3 levels (*, **, ***)

Mandatory and optional properties in the categoriesMaterialsRecyclingPower ConsumptionEnvironmental label certifications

Labeling of LIFEBOOK, ESPRIMO, AMILO, CELSIUS and FUTRO starting in November 2008, criteria for servers and storage to follow

Provides transparency and guidance for customers, and a company internal benchmark

Reflects discussions with Green IT stakeholders and provides the appropriate balance of ambition and feasibility


Agenda





Power is a significant cost component of IT (1/2)

A state-of the-art dual-CPU IA-server, configured to optimize the results of the SPECpower benchmark, running at 300K ssj_ops, consumes approximately:

250 W6 kWh in 24h of continuous operation0,6 € per day at 10 cents/ kWh electricity cost219 € per year876 € over a 4-year-life-cycle~ 2200 € when electricity cost for data center heat removal and power distribution is included (average PUE: 2.5)

The typical list price of such a server configuration is in the range of €4000


Power is a significant cost component of IT (2/2)

The described scenario constitutes the “laboratory case” for lowest energy cost - installed base equipment is expected to show much higher relative energy cost

So far, only single- and dual-CPU IA-sever results have been published for SPECpower, multi-core systems provide superior energy efficiency

Obviously, there is a significant business case for many datacenters to generate TCO savings by accelerated platform innovation


Many IT managers are not aware of energy cost *)

In many companies IT- and facility-costs are not consolidated

IT managers are often not aware of the direct electricity cost of their equipment

IT managers are typically not aware of energy cost for cooling and CapEx derived from data center specific facility cost

As a result, incomplete cost-optimization leads to mis-allocation of resources and energy waste in many data centers

*) Fujitsu Siemens Computers conducted a survey of 100 mid-size datacenters in Germany which clearly indicated this finding. It was confirmed by all analysts with whom we discussed the Green IT topic.


Energy cost can drive a huge business case

A clear WIN-WIN between vendors and users of IT

Primarily based on multi-core technology and increased efficiency in other components, new server investment pays off quickly throughsavings in energy cost

Virtualization in consolidated IT infrastructure can significantly increase utilization, reduce the number of active systems and save significant amounts of energy (power and cooling)

Energy assessment and consulting constitutes a new IT service offering with immediate return on investment

Transparency and customer perception is the issue that industry consortia now address. But progress is still slow


Agenda





Conclusions and Perspectives (1/2)

Green IT is a comprehensive subject, not just the power and Greenhouse gas issues that dominate the general discussion

However, only energy efficiency constitutes a direct and clear business case that offers immediate monetary rewards

Metrics to characterize energy efficiency are still in an early phase, particularly for complex usage scenarios. Expert consulting services are required to optimize infrastructures

Estimates for saving potentials (at the economy level) provided by the U.S. EPA and other institutions indicate

a significant environmental threat – and, at the same time, a big business case for adopters of Green ITthe leading impact to be derived from adopting dynamic infra-structure concepts, not just from system level efficiency gains


Conclusions and Perspectives (2/2)

All efforts to “save the planet” are required and honorable, but most stakeholders also have near-term targets as well:

Vendors see various Green IT business opportunities and realize that growing relevance of CSR makes Green IT a MUSTGovernment institutions are realizing the environmental threat emerging from explosive IT growth, primarily caused by GHG emissions, hazardous substances and electronic wasteNGOs are discovering new fields for visible and publicly appreciated disclosure campaigns since regulations are weak Consortia are receiving substantial industry support since they are expected to create user awareness for the saving potential

In the long-term, user demand will shape the nature of supply. Helping customers realize benefits that they might enjoy and enable for society as a whole is the mission critical task


Recommendations

Get transparency on your own relative spending on IT-related energy vs. depreciation of new servers delivering the performance of your installed equipment – may be a surprise

Design your own roadmap on improving energy efficiency, first steps are easy and free, advanced optimization may require qualified services

Balance your “new” IT budget with expected savings in energy cost: Price – Performance – Power should be the variables to determine your infrastructure design goal

Rely on an infrastructure provider with experience and a track record on the subject of Green IT

Thank You!

Business

VISIT2008 Green IT