UK Bolsters Energy Efficient Computing Commitment 

This time of economic hardship for the United States government means that private corporations along with governments of other countries must pick up the green computing research slack. The United Kingdom is helping with that load by recently announcing a round of funding designed to bolster Britain’s standing in the tech world.

While the focus of the announcement was around Britain attempting to position itself better from a broader technological innovation perspective, the emphasis on energy efficient computing is respectable.

In a period of time where the US government is sequestering spending across the board (including technological agencies that could be helping develop green data center technologies) other governments are going to have pick up the slack if energy efficient computing is going to continue gaining steam in the general IT context.

That funding will include a direct backing to the tune of £1.25 million for a competition that will develop energy efficient devices and another £1.15 million to nine businesses for the purposes of harvesting energy in the interests of expanding battery life.

David Willetts, Universities and Science Minister for the United Kingdom, made the announcement last week at an Innovate UK 2013 event in London. The bulk of the money – £47.2 million – will go to 51 biotech startups to help them bridge the gap between research and development and actual commercial implementation. However, the focus on green will also be important to advancing the UK among the world’s IT leaders.

“Investing in new ideas for technology now means that the UK will maintain its position as a global leader for innovation,” Willetts said in his presentation. “Through our life sciences strategy and Innovation and Research Strategy we are laying the foundations for future financial benefits in these high growth areas of technology.”

Colin Bannister, CTO of CA Technologies UK and Ireland, noted that this sort of investment into Britain’s high tech industry will be important as the UK attempts to dig out if its own economic hole. “Innovation lies at the heart of the UK economic recovery," Bannister said.

"Both public and private sectors must promote innovative thinking within their own organisations and more broadly across UK business. Successful organisations that grow in recessionary times are the same ones that continue to invest in innovation through-out the economic downturn,” Bannister continued. Indeed such innovative thinking, while certainly including biotech considerations, has to involve the global perspective required to promote green technologies, such as the investment in energy harvesting for battery life and energy efficient computing in general.

In Bannister’s opinion, while these initiatives are a step forward, the UK has a few more steps to run before joining their counterparts in Germany, Japan, and Brazil. “Funding initiatives – such as these announced by the Government today – are essential. But the onus lies on us all to ensure that we devote other resources such as time, skills and training to ensure that the UK meets the ‘Innovation Imperative’ challenge.“

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