HP 8000 HP Enterprise/Mid-Market Desktop PC Power Supply Architecture - Page 8

Why Change the Power Supply Architecture? Two primary reasons were driving the decision to develop a new power supply for HP business PC products. First, the increasing regulatory focus on power consumption is forcing the industry to explore innovative solutions to meet increasingly strict product requirements. Second, there is an increasing emphasis on smaller form factor PC products, and the size and bulk of the current industry interface is a major obstacle to optimizing smaller form factors. Regulatory Requirements The global regulatory environment has changed significantly over the last 10 years. There is a very strong legal and industry emphasis on power consumption and power efficiency. The two leading efforts are the U.S. ENERGY STAR program and the European Union Energy using Products (EuP) Directive. The ENERGY STAR program was initiated 1992 by the U.S. EPA and is now a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. The ENERGY STAR program is voluntary labeling program that promotes standards for efficiency designed to inform consumers about the energy efficiency characteristics of the products they purchase. In 2005, Gold/Silver/Bronze classifications were extended to power supplies in computers. In 2008, these classifications were extended to full computer system power consumption ratings, not just power supplies. These standards define specific power efficiency and consumption targets for both the power supply and computer in different operation states, such as suspend, off, and idle. The EuP Directive is a legal requirement within the European Union. Products which do not meet the defined requirements may not be sold within the European Union. The EuP Directive Lot 6 Tier 1 requirements took effect in January 2009 and required all PCs to meet a 1W S5 off power limit. HP products currently meet this requirement. The EuP Directive Lot 6 Tier 2 requirements will take effect in January 2013 and will require all PCs to meet 0.5W S5 off power limit. HP is currently working on innovative solutions to meet this requirement. HP is committed to meeting these regulatory guidelines, not just because they may be legal requirements, but because they add value to our products and customers matching the HP commitment to the environment. HP and rest of the industry must focus on innovative solutions to meet these challenging requirements, including power supply architecture and its interface to the rest of the system. This new power supply architecture is designed to meet these requirements and position HP to respond new challenges in the future. 8