Magnetic materials may in the future contribute to more energy efficient information technology. Last month the U.S. Department of Energy announced $47 million in grants (funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – ARRA) for new IT energy efficiency projects, with $2.8 million given to the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University (SEAS) to develop energy efficient computer chips using nano-scaled magnetic materials. Columbia will be partnering with IBM and Cornell University on the project. Along with Columbia University, the other DOE grant recipients will be developing more energy efficient designs for IT equipment and software, power supply, and cooling.
via Cleantechnica