Economy

Shanghai forum explores green IT solutions for China

By Matthew Fulco (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-11-11 15:03

SHANGHAI – The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and China Cleantech Focus held the Green IT Forum Tuesday to explore how companies in China can optimize sustainable information technology solutions.

The forum addressed developing and implementing a green IT strategy in China and opportunities in cloud computing, a technology that provides access to applications like Gmail directly from the Internet without installation. Cloud computing saves energy by centralizing storage, memory, processing and bandwidth.

Speakers at the forum included IT leaders from the China offices of General Electric, Cisco Systems, Standard Chartered and Microsoft.

One of the major issues discussed was reducing paper consumption.

David Lynch, CIO of Standard Chartered China, emphasized that much paper consumption in the PRC is driven by regulatory requirements.

It would be possible within 5 or 6 years for Standard Chartered to be nearly paper-free, but would require active engagement with Chinese authorities and regulators, he added.

Matt Taylor, Epicor Regional Director of China and Korea, suggested centralizing control of company printing to reduce paper use and loss of intellectual property.

Taylor also mentioned that smartphones and tablet devices could be energy-saving tools, substituting for laptops and cutting down on paper use.

Benson Han, CIO of General Electric’s China Technology Center, agreed.

"The iPad significantly reduces my need to print," he said.

Another of the forum’s principal topics was cloud computing, which enjoys strong backing from the Chinese government. In October, the Shanghai Cloud Computing Innovation Center was launched, marking the start of a 200 million yuan (US$29.9 million) government-funded, five-year investment plan. The center aims to attract 300 cloud-related businesses by 2015, and put Shanghai at the forefront of cloud computing innovation in China.

"The government is figuring out how to use cloud computing in the most effective way possible for China,” said Jim Ni, Sr. Program Manager of Microsoft China’s Server and Tools Business in Shanghai. “They are picking up the best technologies."

As companies in China learn how to manage virtualized environments, they will begin to see economies of scale and a decrease in power and operating costs, he added.

Microsoft announced in September the opening of its own cloud innovation center in Shanghai.

"We’re excited to see how we can help Chinese clients migrate towards cloud," said Ni. “We’re building a dedicated lab for them where they can go to try out these new technologies.”

Overall, the prospects for green technology in China look promising, said Eric Schmidt, President of the CEBEX Group and China Cleantech Focus.

"The pace of business moves so rapidly in China that companies typically replace their IT systems every few years," he said.

"If they are going to gut the system, it makes sense to implement something that is energy efficient and keeps costs down."

Being green also helps Chinese companies listing abroad attract investment, Schmidt added.