Why Power Matters
A White Paper by
Judson Leonard
December 2006/revised February 2009
8 pages
In large-scale computer systems, thermal considerations determine the achievable performance limits. Reducing power consumption allows more processors to be packed closer together, where they can cooperate more efficiently. The benefits of substantial reductions in power consumption are so profound that they become a necessary element for the next generation of high-performance systems.
With the price of energy continuing its inexorable rise, there is little doubt that energy efficiency makes good business sense, but there are other, even more compelling reasons why radical reductions in computer power consumption can result in improved system throughput.
