Vendors focus on CPUs to save power in notebooks, but the LCD is a far greater power sink, an Intel executive says. Displays account for over 30 percent of a notebook"s power use, says Kamal Shah, an engineering program manager at Intel Labs. In contrast, the CPU consumes only about 10 percent of a notebook"s power, while the graphics and hard drive use about 8 percent each. Shah spoke at the Flat Information Displays Conference, sponsored by ISuppli/Stanford Resources here this week.
Tackling the Backlight
While Intel and other chip makers focus on squeezing more CPU performance from fewer watts, the display system still offers plenty of room for improvement, Shah said. For example, at most only 8 percent of the light from an LCD"s fluorescent backlight actually reaches the user"s eye, he noted. Reducing display power usage is one challenge of the Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group, an alliance of Intel, Microsoft, and several PC and LCD makers, formed in 2002. The group"s aim is to reduce the display"s power use from the typical 4.5-to-5 watt range to 3 watts. In 2002, no notebook displays met the target. In 2003, eight displays qualified, according to Shah, who described both current and future efforts to cut power use.