Adept-IT Claims First Carbon Neutral Desktop

Adept-IT, based in Kent, has launched what it calls the first carbon neutral PC. However, it is not a PC in the conventional sense but more of an appliance.

The best way to picture the SoftXpand system is to bear the old green-screen minicomputer architecture in mind. The appliance acts as a host for up to eight users who each have a screen, keyboard and mouse connected to the hosting appliance – the modern equivalent of a dumb terminal.

Less Hardware Means Less Waste

Simon Luck, a director at Adept-IT, claims that the system uses 87.5 percent less electricity than the equivalent eight desktop systems that SoftXpand replaces.

The secret is the software produced by Israeli company MiniFrame. This effectively partitions the appliance, which is basically a PC, into up to eight virtual PCs. Each instance is linked to its own graphics card and USB port, which connect to each user’s screen, keyboard and mouse.

Luck said that the sustainability argument stretches beyond the economy of the system.

“The current typical desktop PC on the market consumes an average of around 115 watts. The appliance uses around 30 watts of electricity on average – a significant reduction,” he said.

Using figures gleaned from Gartner, he explained that, based on an always-on model of 8,760 hours per year and an electricity cost of 11p per kilowatt hour, Adept-IT estimates that its SoftXpand system would save between £124,000 and £136,000 per annum, depending on which appliance model is chosen. Luck bases his calculation on a population of 1,000 computers being replaced by appliances.

The appliances come in several configurations to support two, four, six or eight users and can be supplied as floor-standing or rack-mounted units.

Reducing The Environmental Impact

Apart from giving thought to the power supply, the materials used in the modules have been chosen for their recyclability and environmental impact properties.

“The appliances have been designed to reduce the environmental impacts during manufacture, use, and at end of life,” said Luck. “Each PC comes with five years of GVA [gross value added] certified carbon offsetting with Carbon Life to neutralise the energy consumption during use.”

The fact that less transportation is used for delivery, a lower energy and heat output per user ratio, and the fact that there is less hardware to dispose of at end of life helps to create the offset that Luck claims results in the carbon neutral status.

The appliances are based on Windows XP which runs in solid-state memory. The user storage is provided by hard disks and the graphics capabilities are powered by quad-head or dual-head graphics cards to save space and energy.

The normal limitations of USB cabling can also be avoided by the option of a Cat 5 Ethernet system, which uses a conversion hub at each end-point to accept the USB and graphics connections. The hubs even have an extra USB port to allow users local storage facilities.

Adept promises an even greener future when the Windows 7 version appears. Luck gave no definite date for this but said that the Windows XP limitation of eight users per appliance would be increased.