Microsoft Promotes Energy Efficiency At CeBIT

Microsoft kicked off the largest technology trade show by focusing on initiatives to cut energy use for itself and its customers.

CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote speech at CeBIT yesterday touched on Microsoft's attempts to reduce energy needs from data centers and its products, according to news reports.

The company has been studying how to reduce the power consumption of its products for a decade, resulting in Windows Vista using 3 watts per hour compared to XP's 100 watts per hour, according to IDG News Service. Windows Server 2008 also uses 40 percent less power than its 2003 incarnation.