SPCR

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:32 pm**

Thought we'd start this new forum off with an on-topic Press Release from yesterday for discussion:

Via Technology wrote:
News Release
VIA and UK System Partners Launch World's First Carbon Free Personal Computers
VIA joins with leading UK-based system providers Evesham and Tranquil to launch computers ideal for organizations looking to reduce their Carbon Footprint

London, England, October 11, 2006 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today announced with partners Evesham Technology and Tranquil PC the world's first Carbon Free Computers based on the ultra energy-efficient VIA C7Â®-D processor platform.

As awareness of the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) on global warming grows, individuals, governments, and organizations are searching for ways to reduce their Carbon Footprint, demanding better energy efficiency and greater environmental awareness in the ICT products they purchase. To meet this growing demand VIA has joined with leading UK system integrators Tranquil PC and Evesham Technology to launch the world's first Carbon Free personal computers, based on the VIA C7-D processor, the world's first carbon free processor launched last month.

The Evesham Carbon3 and Tranquil PC systems such as the new T7 bring together ultra-energy efficient operation and the offset of the CO2 emissions produced from the operation of the systems over their lifetime through investment in UK-based projects in energy conservation, reforestation, and alternative energy.

"Since its inception, the PC industry has been ramping up the MHz and the feeds, and today introducing more cores, all of which dramatically increase the electricity demands of not just the CPU, but all the other supporting components regardless of application necessity," commented Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. "Today together with Evesham and Tranquil, VIA is showing a different path for the industry, one that focuses on energy-efficient performance and environmental sustainability, while still meeting user demands."

"In the UK and EU we have seen a real shift in organizational demands where they are taking a serious look at the environmental impact of their IT infrastructure purchases," commented David J Thompson, CEO, Tranquil PC Ltd. "Tranquil has been an early leader in this area with our zerocarbonâ„¢ computing products, together with our traditional leadership in fanless computing."

"Building on our recent release of the 'All you need PC' focused on the UK Public Sector, today's launch of our first Carbon Free PCs based on the VIA C7-D processor is a natural progression in Evesham's product line for organizations focused on greater efficiencies and green awareness in their ICT purchases," commented Richard Austin, CEO, Evesham Technology Ltd.

Further information on the new carbon free systems may be found as follows:

* Evesham Carbon3: www.evesham.com/carbonfreepc
* Tranquil PC carbon free systems: http://www.tranquilpc.co.uk/Tranquil_Green.htm

This is the first public sign of products being based on Via's Clean Computing program.

Thoughts? Opinions? Is "carbonfree computing" a useful goal, or marketing BS from a struggling (some would say dying) also-ran in the CPU business?

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:52 pm**

Well, the press release is predictably bullshit...

Real questions: What were they using the carbon for before? What did they replace it with? Why do they sound as if they're confusing CPUs manufactured without using carbon with CPUs that use less power therefore cause less CO2 emissions from power plants?

Posted: **Thu Oct 12, 2006 1:06 pm**

qviri wrote:Well, the press release is predictably bullshit...

Real questions: What were they using the carbon for before? What did they replace it with? Why do they sound as if they're confusing CPUs manufactured without using carbon with CPUs that use less power therefore cause less CO2 emissions from power plants?

Yeah, their terminology of "Carbon Free" is either confusing, or maybe misleading. It sure sounds like it's similar to the EU RoHS directive, ei "Lead Free" computer products, but it's not.

Via's "Carbon Free" CPU's still use carbon, obviously. What they mean is that during its "operational lifespan" Via ensures that it will not contribute to CO2 emissions through its power consumption.

How? One is the being low-power. The second is that for every C7-D CPu sold Via is going to plant 4 trees. The trees will sequester at least as much CO2 as is released in the process of generated the power needed to run the chips. (according to Via)

Appears as though they're talking only about CO2 emissions after sale, not during manufacturer. (but I could be wrong)

Posted: **Fri Oct 13, 2006 4:42 am**

Reforestation for use as a carbon sink is just fooling yourself.

The carbon that is freed from fossil fuels and put into the athmosphere would have been locked in the earth for era's without human intervention. Keeping a forested area forested for the next century might work, but keeping it forested for several centuries in a world with evermore humans is not going to happen.

Policy makers conveniently use the numbers from carbon absorbtion for a newly planted planted forest. Completely ignoring that 25~50 years from now the forest will be mature and will have a net carbon absorbtion of 0 (zero).

Posted: **Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:05 am**

Here's a critique of the notion that you can cancel out your carbon impact by planting trees. The idea is rather silly to begin with -- where exactly are you planting these trees, in the middle of a concrete field? The trees need to go somewhere, after all.

HOWEVER, if the carbon-neutrality of the product gives a shiny PR patina to something that is environmentally sound -- lower energy consumption -- then let them pull whatever tricks they want, I suppose. What do people think about the underlying claim that this platform is also highly energy efficient?[/url]

Posted: **Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:48 am**

padmewan wrote:What do people think about the underlying claim that this platform is also highly energy efficient?[/url]

Well, it's a C7, so I'll believe it uses little power. It also delivers little power, but I'd hazard a guess that it's enough for most office workers. I wish it the best.

(Does anyone know if the C7 has enough oomph to play stuff like HD video?)

Posted: **Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:05 am**

HOWEVER, if the carbon-neutrality of the product gives a shiny PR patina to something that is environmentally sound -- lower energy consumption -- then let them pull whatever tricks they want, I suppose. What do people think about the underlying claim that this platform is also highly energy efficient?[/

It can be as energy-efficient as it likes, but the fundamental problem is that VIA only has something like 0.000001% of the global CPU market; so even if it used 0W (impossible) the impact on worldwide PC power consumption would be negligible; it is AMD and Intel that we really want to get the energy-efficiency bug, and to some extent they already have. Now if we can just convince the GPU manufacturers to go down the same path....

(Does anyone know if the C7 has enough oomph to play stuff like HD video?)

VIA Launches HDTV ready Unified Chipset for Embedded Market

Boston, MA, 26th September 2006 - VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today introduced the VIA CX700M digital media IGP chipset for the VIA C7Â® and EdenÂ® processor platforms.

Posted: **Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:04 pm**

jaganath wrote:Now if we can just convince the GPU manufacturers to go down the same path....

It's not going to happen quite yet. The rumors that I've seen have ATI's RV600 consuming 250W and Nvidia's G80 consuming 300W

Now would be a good time for VIA/S3 to start making an efficient midrange DX10 GPU

SPCR

Via's "Carbon Free Computing" Initiatives

Via's "Carbon Free Computing" Initiatives