Green Daily

If you've got a computer that was built in the last few years, odds are it's got a processor that scales up when you need an extra performance boost and scales down when you don't. By doing this, your computer uses less electricity. And if you've got a laptop, the battery will last longer.

But most of the network servers and routers that power the internet never get the chance to scale up or down, because they're dealing with a constant flow of internet traffic. They run at pretty much the same speed all the time in order to make sure your YouTube videos start the instant you hit the play button. Researchers are looking into ways to cut the cost of internet traffic by changing the way network hardware processes data.

NewScientist reports that researchers at Intel and the University of California have come up with a method that could cut the electricity usage of network hardware by between 40 and 80% by slowing down the flow of network data just a tiny bit or by changing the way traffic is handled. The first method would let network hardware run at a lower speed, while the second would give it a chance to "sleep" every now and again.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has been testing a system that tries to route traffic through servers that are already in use first, allowing the company to put some inactive servers to sleep. In a recent test, Microsoft found it could reduce electricty by about 30% this way.

[via Environmental Leader]