Cloud Power: Microsoft + Google (3/11/11)
b'Cloud Power: Microsoft + Google (3/11/11) Rob Bernard, Chief Environmental Strategist, Microsoft William Weihl, Green Energy Czar, Google Greg Dalton, Climate One Founder, Moderator Arch rivals Microsoft and Google find common cause at Climate One promoting the energy efficiency of the cloud. Efficiency alone won\\u2019t solve the climate crisis, Rob Bernard of Microsoft and Google\\u2019s William Weihl say, but smart IT can reduce emissions, help green the grid, and save money companies and consumers money. \\u201cThe very simple thing is that we can save money by using less electricity. So by investing engineering effort, investing capital in making our systems more efficient, we save money in the end,\\u201d says Weihl, Google\\u2019s Green Energy Czar. Google and Microsoft operate power-hungry data centers around the globe, so they have good reason to promote energy efficiency, but Weihl and Rob Bernard, Microsoft\\u2019s Chief Environmental Strategist, insist that their efficiency gains will be shared as IT becomes ever-more integrated into the global economy. \\u201cI would actually bet that as a percentage of global electricity use that information and communication technology will use a higher percentage over time. But in the process it will make the entire economy more energy efficient. So, yes, that 2% will grow, but the other 98% will shrink, and shrink faster,\\u201d says Weihl. Bernard cites an example. Stanford researcher Jonathan Koomey, had, he says, looked into the carbon footprint and energy use resulting from the switch from CDs to digital music. \\u201cEven in the worst case, it was a 40% to 50% reduction in the amount of energy,\\u201d Bernard says. During the Q&A, an audience member asks Bernard and Weihl what can be done to overcome the barriers holding up even bigger efficiency gains. \\u201cMost energy efficiency work I would say actually is a no brainer. But people don\\u2019t seem to have brains,\\u201d Weihl says. One big problem, he says, is the disjointed decision-making practiced at many companies. \\u201cIf you focus people on total cost of ownership, lifetime cost \\u2013 capital, plus operating cost \\u2013 and get everybody to think in those terms, not just in terms of their own budget, you can make a lot of progress,\\u201d he says. Bernard agrees. \\u201cMore and more when I go and talk to customers, the challenge is much if not more governance and behavior than it is technology,\\u201d he says. This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco on March 11th, 2011\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'