IT industry 'has important low carbon role'

The information technology (IT) industry may be an asset to the development of a low carbon economy, an analyst has suggested.

According to Simon Mingay, research vice-principal at Gartner, there are many green innovations that can be made in the industry, particularly as IT can be responsible for up to 40 percent of a company's carbon emissions.

"Operating in a low carbon economy is not about doing the same things with less energy and lower carbon dioxide emissions, but about doing different things and thinking differently about how things can be done," he told What PC?.

The publication asserted that a proactive approach to green IT has been undertaken by the University of Wales College Cardiff, which has invested a total of £3 million to operate a powerful computer infrastructure within energy-efficient restrictions.

Specified power metering has also been installed throughout the university to identify areas where electricity is being used excessively.

Last week, ZDnet.com reported that according to various estimates from research firms, information and communications technologies are responsible for around two percent of total carbon emissions worldwide.