IBM's Project Big Green set for big strides

BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM, a leading PC manufacturer will consolidate thousands of computer servers onto mainframes as part of Project Big Green, a broad commitment that the company announced in May to sharply reduce energy consumption for IBM and its clients.

It will save an estimated $250 million over five years, the company said in a release. The plan is to shrink 3,900 computer servers to about 30 of IBM’s System z mainframes. The new server environment will consume approximately 80 per cent less energy than the current set up.

The discarded 3,900 servers will be recycled by IBM Global Asset Recovery Services. The IBM mainframe’s ability to run the Linux operating system is key to the consolidation project. IBM data centres in Poughkeepsie, New York; Southbury, Connecticut; Boulder, Colorado; Portsmouth, UK; Osaka, Japan and Sydney, Australia will participate in the initiative.