Green Technology and Computer Science
June 2014
For the past few years, green computing has been creating a lot of buzz in the technology market. However, it’s presumed that Green computing can work efficiently only when manufacturers, regulatory agencies and consumers work in close association with each other. Common technologies in the computing world include the following –
- Power Scaling Technology: A computer architecture technique known as “Dynamic Power Scaling” helps in drastically reducing the frequency of the micro-processor, thereby lowering the powering consumption and the amount of heat generated by the chip.
- Cloud computing and Virtualization: Exponential data growth in almost every sector has led to an increase in demand for storage space, cooling technology and power among others. All these take a toll on the environment. According to the United States Energy Department, data centers require 200-300 times more power and greater resources compared to conventional office of the same size. On the other hand, Virtualization is a unique IT paradigm that eliminates the need for extensive hardware linked with certain functionalities, which in turn reduces the power consumption a great deal.
- Terminal Server Technology: Terminal servers allow multiple users to a central server. It is this server that does all the processing. Nonetheless, each user connected to the central server experiences the system at his terminal. This technology works efficiently with thin clients that consume as little as 1/8th of the power required for traditional work stations.
While there has been continued development of Green Technology in the recent past, more developments are needed for sustainable growth in the field of Computer Science.