Computing Trends Change Everything | Jon Koomey | Talks at Google

TL;DR

The energy efficiency of computing has doubled every year and a half since the 1940s, enabling the proliferation of smart and low-power devices.

Transcript

Luiz Barroso: My name is Luiz Barroso and thank you for coming here and helping me welcome Jonathan Koomey to Google today. Many of us here have known Jon for a very long time because Google and many of us share the passion for understanding the impact of computing technology in the world. Jon's been working on this for a very long time. For thos... Read More

Key Insights

• 😘 Low power is more important than efficiency in computing devices.
• 🎮 The revolution in computing energy efficiency is driven by the convergence of trends in computing, communications, sensors, and controls.
• 😚 The focus is now on creating devices that are closer to specific tasks, resulting in improvements in mobile and distributed computing.
• 🎨 The theoretical limits of computing efficiency suggest the need for radical changes in how computers are designed and used.
• 🐕‍🦺 The revolution in computing energy efficiency has implications for better matching energy services, nano data analysis, and the internet of things.
• 😌 The challenge lies in finding innovations that can exceed the historical rate of change in computing efficiency and overcoming potential roadblocks.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the main driver of the revolution in computing energy efficiency?

The main driver is the doubling of energy efficiency every year and a half since the 1940s, which has enabled the development of small, smart, and low-power devices.

Q: Are there any limitations to the current rate of improvement in computing energy efficiency?

The current rate of improvement is not limited by the physical properties of the devices but by the engineering challenges of creating devices that are elegant, simple, and have low idle power.

Q: How does the revolution in computing energy efficiency impact other industries?

The revolution enables the substitution of bytes for atoms, leading to improved environmental performance in various industries. It also allows for better matching of energy services demanded with those supplied.

Q: What are the implications of the trend in computing energy efficiency for future technology development?

The trend in computing energy efficiency suggests that radical changes in computing will be necessary in the next few decades. Innovations in software and hardware will be crucial in surpassing the current rate of improvement.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The energy efficiency of computing has doubled every year and a half since the 1940s.

• This trend has enabled the development of devices that are cheap, smart, small, and low-powered, capable of harvesting energy from ambient sources.

• The focus now is on low-power and ultra-efficient devices that can be self-powered and used in various applications.