CeBIT 2008 organizers add a dash of green

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative, established by many of the world's leading computer vendors will use this year's CeBIT trade show to drive home a green IT message.

The Initiative is led by Dell, EDS, Google, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, as well as utility companies and World Wildlife Fund and will highlight its work at the event to be held in Hannover from 4 to 9 March.

Other supporters of the and include AMD, Delta Electronics, eBay, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Marvell Semiconductor, NEC, Sun and Supermicro.

Ernst Raue, Chairman of Deutsche Messe, which puts on CeBIT said, "CeBIT will provide a single unified platform for discussion of all the key issues relating to Green IT. At a time of rapidly rising energy prices, Green IT offers business users the potential for significant savings in energy costs." CeBIT will feature a "Green IT Village" and Lorie Wigle, president of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative and Intel's representative on the board of directors, said CeBIT would be "an ideal showcase for our work".

The Initiative has set the goal of reducing the power consumption of computers - and therefore their Co2 emissions - by 50 per cent by the year 2010. This is to be achieved primarily through the use of more efficient components and by increasing the use of power management capabilities. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative target seeks to reduce global CO2 emissions from the operation of computers by 54 million tons per year, equivalent to the annual output of 11 million cars or 10-20 coal-fired power plants.