In 1949, Popular Mechanics Magazine predicted: In the future, computers will weigh less than 1.5 tons an understatement which told only half the story. Thanks to advanced technologies, computers have not only slimmed down; they ve become a ubiquitous part of life on this planet. Given their proliferation 100+ million PCs in the U.S. alone computers are also having an effect on the environment. Advanced technologies from Intel and other technology companies are making computers not only smarter and faster, but also more environmentally friendly . Building the Power Efficient PC: A Developer s Guide to ACPI Power Management shows engineers and developers how to implement these technologies, and explains why they are so important in today s world.

Office equipment is one of the fastest-growing consumers of electricity in businesses and homes, currently accounting for more than 7% of total-commercial sector electricity use. Much of this energy is wasted because office equipment sits idle for long periods. During the average workday, PCs are only actively used for about 4 hours, with another 5.5 hours being idle time. In some environments, PCs are left on 24 hours a day, creating even more downtime and added energy use.

Since demonstrating the first ENERGY STAR*- qualified PC in 1994, Intel has continued developing advanced power management technologies that reduce a PC s total power consumption. Traditional PC power management techniques, while broadly successful, did not address user requirements. Resume times were not acceptable. Network connections were often disrupted. Systems were noisy when asleep. So, while power management is a...