VMware claims the virtual world is greener
6 May 2008 | 21:17 BST
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VMWARE RECKONS IT’S doing a grand old job of making the world a greener place, noting in a back-slapping press release that by using its vitualisation products, Vmware clients are slashing their C02 emissions, and cutting costs to boot.
Vmware virtualisation means punters can combine over 10 physical machines onto just one server, which reduces power consumption and therefore also cuts costs by a purported 80-90 per cent, the firm said.
It reckons moving from a 1:1 application-to-server ratio to 60:1 or more could result in millions of dollars in capital and operational savings over time. The company estimates that for every server a customer virtualises, they could be cutting 7,000 kilowatt hours (kWh), or approx. four tons of CO2 emissions, every year.
By its own calculations, Vmware says that by virtualising over 6 million servers since 1998, the firm claims 39 billion kWh of energy saved, or in monetary terms, that’s $4.4 billion. This would roughly equate to Denmark’s total yearly energy consumption or 11 per cent of Britain’s.
Stephen Herrod, chief technology officer of Vmware noted that most servers and desktops guzzled 70-80 per cent of their rated power, even when they were sitting idle, but added that “by powering down servers and desktops during inactive periods such as evenings or weekends, we can help customers save another 25 per cent or more on power consumption without affecting applications or users”. µ
© 2007 Incisive Media Investments Ltd. 2007