IBM發動綠色創意

IBM'S BIG GREEN INNOVATIONS (from left to right)Rich Lechner, Vice President, IT Optimization and System Software and Hans Kost, Chemicals & Petroleum Leader, IBM Global Business Services.

PETALING JAYA – Sept 20, 2007 – IBM recently announced Project Big Green which mobilizes the company's resources to dramatically increase the level of energy efficiency in IT augur well for Malaysian businesses.

The growing concern of energy efficiency was reflected in Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's speech at the Budget 2008. In order to further promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy, he proposed several significant improvements in terms of tax incentives, including increasing the Investment Tax Allowance on expenditures for energy conservation and energy saving initiatives for company use in Budget 2008. This is an affirmation of Malaysian government's commitment and seriousness in the energy conservation issue.

“Project Big Green which targets corporate data centers where energy constraints and costs can limit their ability to grow. The savings our clients can expect are substantial -- for an average 25,000 square foot data center, clients should be able to achieve 42 percent energy savings,” said Rich Lechner, Vice President, IT Optimization and System Software, IBM.

According to analyst firm IDC, roughly 50 cents is spent on energy for every dollar of computer hardware. This is expected to increase by 54 percent to 71 cents over the next four years. [1]

“The data center energy crisis is inhibiting our clients' business growth as they seek to access computing power,” said Lechner.

“Many data centers have now reached full capacity, limiting a firm's ability to grow and make necessary capital investments. Today we are providing clients the IBM action plan to make their data centers fully utilized and energy efficient,” he added.

According to Hans Kost, Chemicals & Petroleum Leader, IBM Global Business Services with the recent tax incentives for businesses on energy efficiency announcement, many Malaysian companies see the value of adopting energy efficiency as one of the core business functions
and this would be of great interest to companies outside the IT industry.

IBM currently runs the world's largest commercial technology infrastructure, with more than eight million square feet of data centers in six continents. By using the same energy efficiency initiatives it is offering clients today, IBM expects to double the computing capacity of its data centers within the next three years without increasing power consumption or its carbon footprint [2]. Compared to doubling the size of its data centers by building out new space, IBM expects this will help save more than five billion kilowatt hours of energy per year.

IBM Details “Project Big Green”

IBM is using its expertise and energy-smart technology innovations to outline a five-step approach for clients that are designed to dramatically improve energy efficiency:

1. DIAGNOSE: Evaluate existing facilities -- energy assessment, virtual 3-D power management and thermal analytics
2. BUILD: Plan, build or update to an energy efficient data center
3. VIRTUALIZE: Virtualize IT infrastructures and special purpose processors
4. MANAGE: Seize control with power management software
5. COOL: Exploit liquid cooling solutions -- inside and out of the data center

Through these dedicated five step approach IBM aims to understand and address their client needs and help them achieve energy efficiency through IBM's dedicated systems, softwares and technologies.

“Just as IBM helped organizations grapple with new innovations around the Internet and Linux, we will again assist clients navigate this new era of energy efficient computing,” said Lechner. “Relief from the energy crisis can't be achieved through incremental improvements. Bold ideas and actionable plans are needed to deal with this issue.”

IBM Global Financing (IGF), the financing business segment of IBM, is uniquely positioned as part of Project Big Green to provide a “green wrapper” of financing solutions to help data center owners access or acquire the hardware, software and services they need to build an energy-efficient data center. IGF's simple financing solutions to qualified customers will help alleviate some of the capital constraints and allow enterprises, the opportunity to align their upfront costs to anticipated project benefits. Easy lease and loan terms will also help facilitate the planning and tracking of project costs.

In August, IBM announced one of the most significant transformations of its worldwide data centers in a generation, that it will consolidate about 3,900 computer servers onto about 30 System z mainframes running the Linux operating system. The company anticipates that the new server environment will consume approximately 80 percent less energy than the current set up and expects significant savings over five years in energy, software and system support costs.

Local initiatives

Recycling and ensuring all IBM offices and its suppliers are environmentally compliant is day-to-day routine for the Company.

During the recent Merdeka celebration, IBM Malaysia launched a nationwide contest aimed at computer users to reduce their screen brightness. Research has shown that for every 50,000 people who lowered the brightness of their computer screens for 50 minutes, we can save 5 million watts which is enough to power 3 rural schools for a month. IBM Malaysia pledged to make a donation for every 5,000 responses.

“Our employees, family, friends and client are also instrumental in shaping new innovations for energy and the environment,” said Kost.

The IBM’s second Global Innovation Outlook (GIO 2.0) which took place last year engaged the brainpower and perspectives of a diverse group of nearly 250 thought leaders from business, academia and government, including IBM’s top researchers and consultants. Malaysian government representatives and top local CEOs also were also invited to attend the event.

“Also last year, the Company ran Innovation Jam which brought clients, employees, and their families together to collaborate in a worldwide brainstorming session. IBM Malaysia invited one of its clients from the financial services sector to participate. We have one of the highest participation rates in the world,” he added.

Three of the many ideas from the said events earned development funding of USD 100 million which include extensions to the Intelligent Utility Network (IUN) growth case, Intelligent Transportation Systems and creation of a new venture called Big Green Innovations.

IBM Malaysia is also an active member of ICR Malaysia (Institute of Corporate Responsibility, Malaysia).

IBM is a long-standing leader in environmental protection, having taken early action to establish its environmental affairs policy in 1971. For more information about IBM’s Energy Efficiency Initiative, news announced today, access to video and audio interviews with IBM and industry leaders, please visit: www.ibm.com/press/greendatacenter