IBM's POWER7 Systems Now Meet ENERGY STAR Efficiency Requirements

IBM has announced that its POWER7-based 750 Express and Power 755 models are the first four-processor systems in the industry to qualify for ENERGY STAR status. ENERGY STAR is a US government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.

To qualify for ENERGY STAR status, a computer system must meet specific standards for power supply and energy efficiency and provide users with data on power use, thermal output, and processor utilisation at periodic intervals. In addition, the manufacturer must report power and performance information to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy, which co-manage the ENERGY STAR program.

Powered by IBM’s POWER7 processor, the Power 750 Express and Power 755 systems are three to four times more energy efficient than the POWER6 systems they replace. With their power management capabilities, the Power 750 Express and Power 755 systems can help clients maximise the workload delivered for each kilowatt-hour of energy consumed, while helping to reduce energy consumption and data centre space.

POWER7 microprocessors deliver intelligent energy features that can help dynamically optimise energy usage and performance to provide balance to support workload requirements. The Power Saver Mode or Dynamic Power Saver Mode halves processor frequency to reduce energy use, or modulate voltage and frequency to optimise processor and system energy use. The Processor Core Nap acts as a low power mode in which the hardware stops processor core execution by locking most of the circuits inside the core in the absence of workload. The Processor Folding function matches and optimises the number of processors applied to current workload and puts unneeded processors in Nap Mode. IBM POWER7 systems also automatically power off pluggable, PCI adaptor slots that are empty or not being used.

The ENERGY STAR program focuses on furthering environmental protection by identifying and promoting energy efficient products. IBM actively participated in the development of the ENERGY STAR specifications for server and storage devices, providing technical expertise and equipment operating data to assist in the development of the criteria.

“IBM has been a strong partner to the ENERGY STAR program,” said Andrew Fanara, US EPA Energy Star Program Manager. “US EPA appreciates IBM’s ongoing contributions to both the development of Energy Star IT equipment standards and their commitment to work with US EPA to improve energy efficiency across the data centre ecosystem to deliver environmental benefits both to the data centre and through the innovative application of IT capabilities.”