Power efficiency of thin clients

Worldwide, awareness for energy consumption is rising because of global energy production limits as well as because of environmental concerns. As the energy fraction currently consumed by ICT-related equipment is substantial (about 8 per cent of electricity consumption worldwide in the use phase) and the growth rate in this particular sector is spectacular, in the ICT sector, adequate solutions are needed to allow sustainable growth. In this paper we aim at reducing power consumption of desktop applications by applying a thin client approach and we analyse the conditions necessary. To this end, estimates on power consumptions in typical desktop scenarios and analogous thin client settings are made and analysed. The paper concludes with an experimental study on currently available equipment, to translate the generic conclusions into their current implications and trade-offs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.