(18-Mar-10) The explosion of communication and Internet traffic has made energy hogs of IT networks. Collectively, the information and communications technology industry emits 300 million tons of greenhouse gases annually -- the same amount as 50 million cars.
While that represents just 2% of worldwide carbon emissions, the figure is expected to double over the next decade--and with it, the cost of doing business.
Energy costs were once so subsidized that little thought was given to reductions in use, says Aaron Hays, research manager at London, Ont.-based Info-Tech Research Group. "Instead, we developed networks optimized for performance and speed. But we can no longer take energy for granted, and most IT managers are being forced to look at energy consumption."