At an event in Beijing, Intel collaborated with Tsinghua Tongfang and Acer to showcase a new generation of eco-friendly mainstream PCs. These computers have a unique design that makes 90% of their component’s recyclable, emphasizing Intel’s commitment to promoting high-energy and low-carbon concepts while working with ecological partners to create a greener world.
The growing environmental consciousness among people has led to a shift in their priorities when selecting the best CPUs or graphics cards. While performance remains a crucial factor, eco-friendliness and energy efficiency are now essential for buyers.
Intel’s concept focuses on producing energy-efficient technology while reducing carbon emissions. This concept consists of four main aspects:
- Defining and designing the products
- Manufacturing and delivering them
- Using and maintaining them
- Recovering and recycling them
In other words, Intel is committed to creating environmentally sustainable products throughout its entire life cycle, from production to disposal, by optimizing each stage to minimize the environmental impact.
The power supply design of the Green Business PC has been enhanced to make it more efficient. The PC now features a small and noiseless power supply unit that operates on 12 volts and produces a single output. This power supply has an efficiency rating of over 92%, surpassing the 80Plus Platinum standard.
Additionally, by incorporating a Gallium Nitride power supply, the PC can achieve an even higher standard of efficiency, with a rating of over 96%, which is the 80Plus Titanium standard.
The highly integrated motherboard of the Green Business PC has resulted in a 36% reduction in the miniaturized printed circuit board (PCB) area compared to standard ATX motherboards. Additionally, the IO board has been eliminated, which has led to a decrease in cable usage.
Intel’s green PC incorporates several eco-friendly features such as low-hazard and recyclable materials, single-fan coolers, compact assembly cases, energy-efficient fan-less power supplies, cable-saving extensions, and panels that can be recycled. These features help reduce waste and minimize the product’s environmental impact.
Intel is committed to producing eco-friendly and sustainable computers that have a low carbon footprint throughout their entire lifecycle, from conception and production to delivery, usage, maintenance, and recycling.
To achieve this goal, Intel has developed 14 innovative and groundbreaking solutions in green technology across four main areas: definition and design, manufacturing and delivery, use and maintenance, and recovery and recycling. These initiatives ensure that Intel’s products are environmentally responsible from the very beginning until the end of their lifespan.
The motherboard has a reduced number of components from 1,800 to 1,400, resulting in a 22% decrease in the amount of materials used. Reports suggest that the power delivery subsystem is designed to be 6% more efficient than a typical design.
However, printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are made from a combination of metal, resin, and glass fibers are difficult to recycle because of the difficulty in separating the different materials from one another. This could present a challenge for environmentally responsible disposal of the PCBs. Intel is advocating for eco-friendly PCB solutions to achieve high recycling. Metal and glass fibers have a rate of 95%, while organic matter fibers have a rate of 90%, as per the Sohu report.
Intel’s green PC is equipped with a compact motherboard with a straightforward integrated design consisting of two SO-DIMM memory slots, one M.2 slot, and a single PCIe x16 expansion slot.
However, Intel has not revealed the form factor of the motherboard, but it is 36% smaller than a standard ATX motherboard. Having a minimal number of connectors on the motherboard reduces the need for multiple cables, resulting in a cleaner appearance. Only two cables are visible on the PC, namely the ones for the fan from the Intel stock cooler and the power supply.
The environmentally friendly PC is equipped with a small Gallium Nitride (GaN) power supply that is up to 70% smaller than a typical ATX power supply. GaN power supplies are known to be highly effective in reducing carbon footprint and volume, with potential savings of up to 90%. The power supply unit has a fanless design and delivers a single 12V output.
At the event, Intel showcased an 80 Plus Titanium certified GaN power supply unit, which boasts a high efficiency rate of 94% at 50% load and 90% at 10%, indicating its energy-saving capability.