Yu David Liu, a computer scientist from Binghamton University in Binghamton New York, has ideas for developing more energy-efficient software in today’s modern technology. Liu received an award from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program, and a five year grant for nearly half a million dollars to further his investigation in energy saving technology relating to software.
Energy consumption from electronic devices has only increased as technology improves. This means that the overall speed of technology, for instance internet, is increasing, but it is also using up more energy in computers and smart phones, resulting in quicker battery loss. Many researchers have experimented reducing this energy consumption through alterations in the hardware, but minimal effort has been put towards researching software. Liu intends to build “energy-related parameters into a programming language” which would allow programmers to apply their energy saving intentions directly when software is developed, instead of later on down the road. The negative effect to this new software could result in much slower running programs, but the energy use will be decreased and therefore the life of the battery will last longer. Liu hopes to make this new software applicable to a wide range of technology products, not solely to phones or computers. Hopefully this would encourage programmers and designers to implement new energy-efficient software in all technological products in the years to come. Although not much research has been done in this field, energy-efficient software has the potential to make a change in the future.
Sources: “New approach to programming may boost ‘green computing” Gail Glover, discovere.binghampton, March 24, 2011. http://discovere.binghamton.edu/features/liu-3583.html
“Researcher Nabs $500K to work on ‘Green Software’”, David Zax, Fast company. March, 28, 2011. http://www.fastcompany.com/1742588/researcher-nabs-500k-to-work-towards-green-software?partner=rss
“Professor wins grant for green computing initiative”, Ariel Argueso and Kevin Lampierre, bupipedrem.com, March 1, 2011. http://www2.bupipedream.com/news/professor-wins-grant-for-green-computing-initiative-1.2038338
Student Researchers: Nick Strautman, Currin McCarty, Matt Coffin
Faculty Instructor: Kevin Howley
Evaluator: David Burque
DePauw University