May 20 2008
Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced its inclusion in an Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) report that recognizes innovations in environmental efficiency that also benefit the bottom line. In "Innovations Review: Making Green the New Business as Usual," EDF acknowledged Sun's Open Work program, which utilizes innovative technologies, collaboration tools and support so that employees can work anywhere, anytime. In 2007, Sun's Open Work program prevented an estimated 29,000 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere while saving the company nearly $68 million in real estate costs. Sun's inclusion in the report was announced today in San Francisco at an EDF event with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in which Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz also participated.
Innovation is at the core of Sun's values and environmental efforts. The company continues to reduce its own CO2 emissions and computing's impact on the planet through innovation in workplace practices, energy efficient products and datacenter design.
“Innovators at Sun have a passion for changing the world,” said Jonathan Schwartz, CEO and President, Sun Microsystems. “For Sun, eco- innovation is as much about optimizing datacenter economics as it is minimizing the impact Sun and our customers have on the environment. With innovation and creativity, we've proven we can achieve both.”
Workplace Innovation
Through Sun's Open Work program, more than 18,000 Sun employees worldwide (54 percent) work from wherever it makes sense on a given day – at home, in a flexible office, or on a Sun campus. Most Open Work employees use a Sun Ray thin client, an ultra energy efficient, virtualized desktop that draws only 4 watts of electricity – as much as the average night light. These employees report to work through a secure Java(TM) technology-enabled ID card, and their files are stored on a central server rather than on an individual PC.
By providing the enabling technologies, workplace practices and financial support that gives employees the flexibility and freedom to work from home — or closer to home — Sun is contributing to a better quality of life for its employees while positively impacting the company's financials and the planet. A study conducted by Sun found that Open Work employees give 60 percent of their saved commute time back to the company and rate the Open Work program as the number one reason they would recommend Sun.
Product Innovation
Now available to all Sun customers worldwide, Sun's Eco Innovation portfolio offers customers an actionable approach for helping to reduce energy costs by up to 60 percent, increasing performance and cutting CO2 emissions. Highlights from Sun's Eco Innovation portfolio include:
- Chip Multi-threading Technology (CMT) – Sun Fire (TM) T1000/T2000, the first generation of Sun's CMT servers, is up to five times more efficient than its nearest competitor and was the first server ever to qualify for a utility company rebate. Sun recently released its third generation CMT SPARC Enterprise T5140 and T5240, which does approximately two times more work than the previous generation while taking up the same amount of space. With 110% year-over-year billings growth to approximately $300 million in Q3 FY08, Sun's energy efficient, UltraSPARC-based CMT servers have been among the fastest ramping products in Sun's history.
- Sun Modular Datacenter (Sun MD) – Also known as Project Blackbox, Sun MD is a datacenter built into a shipping container. Sun MD delivers extreme energy, space and performance efficiencies. Designed to be 40 percent more energy efficient than typical datacenters, it uses one-eighth the space and can be located near renewable energy sources.
Datacenter Innovation
In 2007, Sun unveiled new datacenters in Santa Clara, Calif.; Blackwater, UK; and Bangalore, India that were built using breakthrough designs and next-generation energy efficient systems, power and cooling. The flagship Santa Clara datacenter increased compute power by more than 450%, saved Sun $1.1 million in energy costs per year and trimmed 4,100 metric tons from the company's CO2 footprint. Local utility company Silicon Valley Power recognized the breakthrough efficiencies and design of Sun's Santa Clara datacenter by giving Sun more than $1 million in rebates and awards.