Intel Keeps It Cool

New specifications for computer power supplies result in cooler, more reliable PCs -- and big energy savings.

When the Intel Corporation sets design guidelines for desktop computers, the industry takes notice. Intel makes nearly two-thirds of the chips that run the world’s PCs. If you’re a manufacturer, you don’t want your machine to be too hot for an Intel chip.

In most desktop computers, under-the-hood power supplies throw off excessive heat, which can damage chips. That excess heat is a sign of wasted energy, but most computer manufacturers address the overheating problem with a solution that requires even more energy: fans that whir constantly to vent the heat out through slots in the computer’s exterior.

NRDC’s energy efficiency experts saw an opportunity for big energy savings and quickly found common ground with Intel, which saw an opportunity to reduce premature chip failure due to overheating. Working together, NRDC and Intel created efficiency specifications for computer power supplies that would keep chips cool, cut energy use and even allow for more compact desktop computer design.

Intel then incorporated these efficiency specifications into the design guidelines it provides to desktop manufacturers. The same specifications were adopted by the federal government’s Energy Star program, which gives an official seal of approval to energy-efficient products. While manufacturers are not required to meet Energy Star’s standards, many large purchasers, including some state governments, will buy only products that make the grade.

The partnership is helping to transform the computer power supply market. Once widely adopted, the new specifications have the potential to cut the nation’s electric bill by more than $1 billion per year and eliminate about 10 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.