Intel Outlines Shift Toward Saving Energy in Processors

Good news, a company has decided that energy efficiency is a more important metric than power. Bad news, that company is Intel not GM.

On Tuesday, Paul S. Otellini, Intel's chief executive, sketched out a new plan to move the company forward on energy-saving computing, based on new multicore processors.

Energy-efficient computing, which can make possible more powerful servers and long-lasting laptop computers, was very much on Mr. Otellini's mind. "We need to think about measuring performance against a new metric, and that is performance per watt," he said.

He said the company's goals for microprocessor power consumption were 5 watts for a portable computer, 65 watts for desktop computers and 80 watts for server computers.

He also mentioned a new ultralow-power version of the original X86 chip architecture, which would consume power equal to one-half watt. The new chip, which would be available sometime toward the end of the decade, would be used in a class of computer Mr. Otellini called hand-tops.

Via New York Times