The road to energy-efficient systems: from hardware-driven to software-defined

Abstract

Innovations in micro and nano technology form the basis of modern ICT. However, the steady growth in the ICT sector has meanwhile a significant ecological footprint: 2% of global CO2 emissions are due to ICT systems already today - one fourth of the emissions caused by cars. The energy costs for running ICT infrastructure have turned into a significant economical factor. The most urgent challenge in the area of micro and nanotechnology is therefore to massively increase energy efficiency, in particular for ICT as a key sector for economic growth. Significant improvements in this area can only be achieved through disruptive innovations and new system approaches, which rely on a combination of excellent research & development and world leading know-how of semiconductor production. But will hardware be the driver to fulfill these requirements and software has to adapt to whatever hardware concepts are developed? Or should the ability to program systems energy-efficiently define the design of the hardware architecture? This session will present the different perspectives on the problem and try to bring both sides together.