NComputing: The Energy-Efficient $70 PC
Imagine a PC unit that costs only $70 and uses as little as 1 watt of power. Sound too good to be true? Not anymore, thanks to the innovation of a California-based company called NComputing. The company creates access devices that have no CPU, memory, or moving parts. Instead, the devices connect to a central shared computer that uses NComputing’s virtualization software to share its excess processing power.
According to NComputing’s Chairman and CEO Stephen Dukker, 30 users can share a single $500 PC and still run videos, the Internet, and a host of other programs. And since the access devices don’t have any moving parts, they use 95 to 99% less energy than a traditional PC—in most cases, just 1 to 4 watts per user. That same lack of moving parts means the devices have a service life of 10 years or longer.
NComputing’s solution has been quick to catch on—in only 20 months, the company has sold over 1 million units. Not surprisingly, many of the devices have been sold to developing countries like Macedonia, India, and Bangladesh.
So will you use an NComputing device in your home anytime soon? Probably not, but don’t be surprised if they pop up in schools and offices around the world— after all, almost any organization would jump at the chance to save thousands of dollars while looking environmentally responsible.
Photo Credit: NComputing
This is just cloud computing… It’s becoming a reality, which in some cases is scary. Your information is held on a main computer with other people’s information.
But still, $70? Cool!
this is a crock. A central server requires much more existing infrastructure and therefore has a much larger resource footprint. The author sees only the box, not the massive Client server nightmare behind it.
Lets walk through it, shall we?
System does not work without a massive it system. (no computing in remote locations)
System limits user choice. (all software comes from a central server), this is death to f/oss and a serious whack to innovation.
single manufacturer, Monopolies are bad mkay?
Massive invasion of privacy. All your files belong to big brother
Single point of failure. Server goes down everyone goes down.
Slow: please make all my computing go through a pipe. I don’t find it restrictive enough now.
Boondogle.
Wow,you must admit that is pretty cool.
Jiff
http://www.anolite.echoz.com
This isn’t rally all that new. I work for a large retail company and this is how our terminals are setup. One main computer, with several different people accessing it for several different areas in the store.
…can you say ‘time sharing’….
Where is the “Buy now” link? why cant I order this in the US ?
This isn’t really a PC. It’s a dumb terminal. Inaccurate reporting.
We have been using the NComputing units at the school I work at for almost 2 years now…every Elementary classroom has what looks and acts like 4 computers for less than $1500…and that’s the monitors, tower, everything. There’s no way we could do that without a unit like this.
To those of you who are saying it requires a main server, that is not the case.
They make many units that are installed into a PCI slot on any PC and then have three to six of these plugged in and run off of that…do not need to connect it back to a main server.
Sun JavaStation anyone?