SiCortex: New ENERGY STAR® Ratings for Computer Servers a Step in the Right Direction

Future ENERGY STAR specifications for large multiprocessor systems will further
drive energy efficiency, reducing data center energy consumption
MAYNARD, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
ENERGY STAR® recently announced a new ratings system for low-end computer
servers. These specifications mark an industry milestone that will bring energy
issues to the forefront in informing purchase decisions of computer servers
comprising up to four processors. Impacting the small business and departmental
server markets for both buyers and manufacturers, the ratings are a "win" for
multiple energy stakeholders: consumers, manufacturers who build-in energy
efficiencies, economies and the environment. "Setting standards for energy
consumption is clearly an important step in the right direction - tackling
head-on a product category that consumes vast amounts of electricity," stated
Christopher Stone, president and CEO of SiCortex.

According to industry reports, at the current rate of energy consumption growth,
the carbon footprint of data centers in the US will eclipse the airline industry
by 2020. "The next tier of specifications will have an even greater impact,
targeting the large, multiprocessor computer systems, which are perhaps the
biggest culprit in data center energy consumption," added Stone. "We at SiCortex
applaud ENERGY STAR`s efforts in taking on this important challenge."

SiCortex has been actively involved in this issue, having recently proposed the
Green Performance Computing Index (GCPI). The GCPI is an industry
benchmark-based metric to rate the relative energy efficiency of the leading
high-productivity computing (HPC) systems manufactured by Cray, Dell, HP, IBM,
SiCortex and others. The index compares the results from a suite of 18
benchmarks measuring different aspects of computer performance in terms of
energy efficiency, and provides a weighted average result. For those users whose
applications rely on a less balanced system, the GCPI now features an online
calculator that allows users to set their own weightings and compare systems
accordingly. Pending the availability of the Tier 2 ENERGY STAR specifications
for large multiprocessor systems, the GCPI provides an objective tool to guide
purchase decisions for these systems.

There is significant need for tools such as the GCPI and ENERGY STAR ratings.
Enterprises and research facilities alike tend to replace computers in three
year cycles, and energy efficiency improvements can help reverse the data center
electricity crisis over time. McKinsey projects that within the next 30 months,
90 percent of companies running large data centers will need more power and
cooling, but most will reached the limits of their energy capacity. Green
computers, systems that require less electricity than their carbon slurping
counterparts installed in the nation`s data centers today, might be the best bet
for data center managers facing this problem.

According to information released by ENERGY STAR, the ENERGY STAR Tier 1 server
ratings are based on the SPECPower ssj_2008 benchmark and apply to servers with
up to only four processors. High-productivity computers, network and storage
equipment, server appliances and blade systems will be ineligible under this
rating system until ENERGY STAR Tier 2 is launched.

While SiCortex endorses the Tier 1 ratings, the company is looking ahead to the
Tier 2 benchmarks, which will ultimately be more relevant to its core customers.
According to Stone, servers with more than four cores dominate the scientific
research world, and most of the data centers associated with academic
institutions and research laboratories in the U.S. run high-productivity
computers.

"Presently, the evaluation of energy consumption is a fundamental consideration
in the acquisition of scalable server technologies," said Addison Snell, General
Manager of Tabor Research. "Common benchmarking tools like ENERGY STAR and GCPI
will not only make it easier for buyers to determine the power and cooling
tradeoffs between platforms, but also help the industry as a whole by enabling
data center managers to effectively maximize productivity within their
facilities budgets."

About SiCortex

Headquartered near Boston, Mass., SiCortex, Inc. makes the world`s most
energy-efficient high-productivity computers powered by an open-source,
multi-core processing technology. Its proven architecture was designed from the
silicon up to provide breakthrough delivered performance at the lowest power
consumption in the industry. SiCortex computers scale from 72 to 5,832
processors running Linux and other open-source codes, in packages ranging from
deskside to departmental to data center. SiCortex systems are the compute-power
behind some of the most important research initiatives at the country`s
government agencies, national laboratories and academic institutions. For more
information, visit http://www.sicortex.com.

Racepoint Group
Caitlin Watras,781-487-4632
sicortex@racepointgroup.com
cwatras@racepointgroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009