History of high efficiency power.

The History Of High Efficiency Power.



Started by the 80+ organization, this aimed to make all AC DC front end power supplies >80% efficient from loads down to 30%. Ecos consulting drove this successfully through the industry, using Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), as the test house for data collection.

The standards then began to push power supply design even further, as the basic limits moved to Bronze, Silver and Gold categories of efficiency standards. These were later adopted by Climate Savers and the EPA and remain current today. Climate Savers have now added a Platinum level for 2012, pushing the limits for what may be the final push. Climate Savers consists of representatives from Intel, AMD, Ecos Consulting, Google, HP, Dell, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Hitachi, Lenovo, Supermicro, Power One, Delta and Liteon. Meeting weekly, we continue to drive for the ultimate reduction in greenhouse gasses in the data center by continuous improvement in efficiency of the server.

The standards in force today specify efficiency at 10/20/50 and 100% loads, as well as power factor. Should you wish to discuss your design in this regard please contact us. What's Next For The Computer Industry?

With the AC DC energy requirements now defined, the focus is set to shift to other parts of systems, a few of these items are listed below;
  • Motherboard DC DC
  • CPU Power (VRM/VRD)
  • DDR Low Power
  • High efficiency DIMMS
  • High efficiency storage drives, SSD's etc
  • Low Power Fan's
Peritus Power has now tested just over 50 motherboard's in the last 3 years, a mixture of processor motherboard's. Intel, AMD and SPARC have all been tested, gathering data for what is undoubtedly the next push. There is no point increasing efficiency any further in the AC DC supply, if those gains are then wiped out by inefficient motherboard and system power. Standard motherboard manufacturers have wised up, shipping products with well marketed power saving features for high power CPU converters. This is the tip of the iceberg.
The drive to reduced energy usage will quickly start to affect all electronic products and devices with much more impact, as specifications and requirements are tightened up. Peritus Power is actively helping companies assess their designs, marketplace and the industry direction. A race has begun, whereby manufacturers can use this new energy drive to their advantage. By staying ahead of the competition and using reduction in greenhouse gasses type arguments, its a win situation.
  • Designs are more reliable as Design For Manufacturefor manufacturability (DFM) becomes a integral part
  • The consumer benefits from reduced utility bills
  • Your company gains kudos for staying ahead and innovation
  • You become a leader, not a follower in your industry
  • You get to play an important part in the reduction of greenhouse gases
Peritus Power can define and design your power architecture for any product, driving to the best performance versus cost. You should at least understand the cost difference between the two, and the cost savings to your end user in utility bills.