Maxim Provides Resources for Energy-Efficient Design
Recently, I calculated the energy usage of devices in my home. To my surprise, I discovered that my media server is using $473 worth of electricity a year—that means that I spend more to operate the server over one to two years than I paid for the server itself! I wonder if the server manufacturer is worried about this, and whether their customers are aware of this high total cost of ownership. If the manufacturer could reduce the energy usage of this device, it would give all their customers an effective discount. Not only would this energy efficiency reduce our impact on the environment, but it would be a competitive advantage.
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"I spend more to operate the server over one to two years than I paid
for the server itself!"
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This is precisely the challenge that we face as engineers. With the rising costs of energy and increased awareness of global warming, consumers are demanding more environmentally friendly products. This demand poses complex technical challenges for engineers, but it also represents a new business opportunity. That is, electronics manufacturers who offer higher-efficiency products will have a competitive advantage in today's marketplace.
When you think about it, this new emphasis simply rewards designers for good engineering. Even before "green" became a byword, low-power design was good design. Greater power efficiency means smaller power supplies, lower costs, greater board densities, improved battery life, reduced heat, and higher reliability.
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"Electronics manufacturers who offer higher-efficiency products will
have a competitive advantage"
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Good design is about more than saving power. It is about being smart with resources: Energy, materials, and the human creative energy that drives new products. And no one is more "ResourceSmart" than an engineer.
Maxim has designed ResourceSmart products for over 25 years. You know us as leaders in high-efficiency DC-DC converters, battery-management ICs, and low-power products such as amplifiers. And, of course, we have been working for years to make our products lead-free and reduce the use of hazardous materials.
You can count on Maxim to deliver innovative ResourceSmart solutions. We are devoting more engineering resources to exciting, environmentally friendly technologies, in addition to the ones that we already pioneered. Specifically, we are applying our expertise to hybrid automotive, solar power conversion and control, high-brightness LEDs, display drivers, notebook power, and many other new areas.
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"Good design is about being smart with resources—and no one is more
'ResourceSmart' than an engineer"
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We are reorganizing our website to make it easier to find ResourceSmart design resources. Over the years, we have written over 2000 application notes, many of which can help you improve the efficiency of your products. We have assembled these and other green design resources on one easy-to-use microsite: www.maxim-ic.com/ResourceSmart. Our engineers will continue to provide new design tips, reference designs, and application notes to help you maximize efficiency and meet your customers' demand for greener solutions.
I hope that our ResourceSmart materials inspire you with new ways to conserve resources.
Together, we can meet today's most pressing technical and business challenges and make the world a better place. That's "ResourceSmart."
Tunç Doluca
President and Chief Executive Officer
 Learn more: ResourceSmart Design Resources for EEs.
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