VIA unveils "carbon free" PC

Chip giant VIA Technologies accelerated its push into the emerging green computing market today, with the launch of a new green certification scheme for its manufacturing partners and the unveiling of a new "carbon free" VIA-based PC.

The news follows the launch last month of VIA's C7-D energy efficient desktop processor, which the company claimed was "carbon free". Keith Kowal, marketing manager at VIA, explained that the firm has " offset" the carbon that will be produced by operating the C7-D during the first three years of its life through investments in energy conservation, reforestation and renewable energy schemes.

VIA today unveiled the first two UK PC manufacturers to build on the new C7-D processor and launched a new green certification scheme allowing partners to certify that the carbon emissions from powering the processor, chipset or entire PC have been offset.

PC manufacturer Tranquil PC announced it had signed up to the scheme, pledging to offset all the carbon produced by operating its fanless quiet PCs. While Evesham Technology has also certified its new Carbon3 desktop as running VIA's "carbon free" processor and is also investigating the possibility of offsetting the carbon produced by the entire desktop.

Keith Kowal, marketing manager at VIA, said there was growing evidence that the carbon and energy footprint of IT hardware is influencing IT directors purchasing decisions. "We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t see business sense in it," he added.

Eric Karofsky of analyst AMR Research agreed that customers were increasingly interested in carbon free products. "It is more than a branding exercise," he said. We are seeing with the growth in demand for alternative fuel vehicles that people will buy them even if they are more expensive and there is no reason IT should be any different."

However, some critics questioned the environmental merits of VIA's offsetting scheme.

Craig Simmons, director of environmental consultancy Best Foot Forward - which helped VIA with the carbon calculations used to underpin the scheme - said there are some scientific doubts about the benefits of reforestation schemes. He explained that it is difficult to guarantee trees will survive for the length of time on which the original offsetting calculations were based, adding that investments in renewable energy schemes tend to have more environmental merit.

Meanwhile, other critics took issue with VIA's claims that its processors are "carbon free" arguing that it only offsets carbon produced from running the processor, and does not include the carbon emitted during the manufacturing process – estimated to account for the bulk of any IT product's carbon footprint.

Kowal accepted that the processors were not truly "carbon free", arguing that it is not possible to go back and audit the carbon footprint of every part of the production chain. But he added that it is still "early days" with VIA's green initiative and that the chip firm plans to "work closely with component providers to ensure they are taking environmentally responsible steps".

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