VIA Technologies, the Taiwanese manufacturer of microprocessors and chipsets, announced on Wednesday that it is billing its C7-D chip as the world"s first "carbon free" processor.
Launched in September as a "carbon neutral" chip, the step up in billing reflects Via"s hope to capture more of the market for energy-efficient technologies. This market is growing as organizations come under increasing pressure to closely monitor the impact IT has on the environment.
The C7-D processor uses a fraction of the electrical power required by AMD or Intel processors, the company says.
Reducing power usage reduces the amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted into the atmosphere by power generators. To support its claims about the C7-D, Via soon will publish a paper by environmental consultants Best Foot Forward (BFF) that outlines the savings in carbon use that result from use of the chip.
Via has also committed to a program of energy conservation and tree planting that is designed to offset carbon emissions caused by computers using its chips.