• Challenge:
  • AISO is striving toward providing optimal Internet performance and service with minimal taxes on the environment. As such, the company's business is 100 percent solar-powered.
  • Before working with AMD, the company did not have the most “energy-efficient” system available, resulting in the need to spend a great deal on cooling systems and costly solar panels.
  • To create an energy-efficient system, AISO required a partner, rather than a vendor.
• Solution:
  • AISO chose the AMD Opteron™ processor-powered system due to its customer-centric business model and the environmentally friendly combination of powerful processing with low heat.
  • As a result of the immediate success of implementing the technology, AISO is replacing every processor in its system with the AMD Opteron processor—a total of 500 processors.
• Impact:
  • Within six months of implementing AMD Opteron processor-based systems, AISO has seen an increase in performance while reducing the overall energy needed. Specifically, the company has required fewer solar panels, and experienced a reduction in the use of air systems.
  • “We've demonstrated that you can be high-tech, deliver a high level of service, and do it in a way that's socially responsible. Our systems are so solid our customers call us ‘the Maytag people',” said Sherry Nail.
  • The company is now looking at AMD PowerNow!™ technology with Optimized Power Management to further help its business.

Organizational Profile
A self-described “green company,” Affordable Internet Services Online, Inc. (AISO) provides Internet solutions that are 100 percent solar-powered. Founded in 1997, AISO offers high-end Web site hosting, co-location, dedicated server solutions, Web site design, dial-up, search engine solutions and affordable domain name registration at competitive prices—all while operating entirely off the power grid. AISO's high-density solar panels convert sunlight to electricity for its servers and facility, which increases uptime for service level agreements while removing the possibility of downtime from the electricity company. Th e company recently took its commitment to energy conservation one step further by using Solar Lighting to light its office and data center. These solar tubes bring in the natural outside light so regular, electrical lighting is unnecessary. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.aiso.net.

Challenge
The 1990s experienced a dramatic rise in Web hosting companies as outsourcing proved an efficient means for many businesses to manage their Internet presences. However, backlash against these companies arose as people began to realize the dramatic amounts of energy these Web farms consumed.

AISO created a unique value proposition by basing its Web hosting business 100 percent on solar power. This environmentally friendly company targets a wide range of customers—from a doctor based in Sweden to a major IMAX film production company in Los Angeles —that all share the same goal: powerful computing conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.

When AISO first created its business, it based its systems on a competing x86 processor. Once up and running, AISO found it was spending an exorbitant amount of money on cooling systems to balance the heat the processors were emitting. Clearly, an increase in usage of the air systems went against the goal of an environmentally friendly system.

Additionally, the company had to continue to increase the number of solar panels to help provide more power to the processors. With 120 solar panels and counting, this was a costly problem for AISO.

Solution
Through system builder Open Source Storage, AISO contacted AMD and quickly resolved these issues. Noting, “it was nice to make a call to AMD and actually talk to a live person,” AISO was able to work closely with both Open Source Storage and AMD to replace the old system with more environmentally friendly AMD Opteron processor-based systems. The company began by replacing approximately 20 processors with the AMD Opteron processor and realized an immediate reduction in energy needed to run the business. As a result, the company will continue to replace every processor with the AMD Opteron processor—a total of 500 processors in all.

“AISO was created for environmental companies and as such, we have a wide range of customers—from a doctor in Sweden to a major IMAX film production studio in Los Angeles . But regardless of the size of the customer the end goal is the same: powerful performance and service delivered through environmentally responsible means. Through its excellent customer service and product innovation, AMD has helped us meet that goal,” said Sherry Nail.

“We've demonstrated that you can be high-tech, deliver a high level of service, and do it in a way that's socially responsible. Our systems are so solid our customers call us ‘the Maytag people',” said Sherry Nail. “We worked closely with AMD to create the most energy-efficient solution available. Now that we have replaced our previous processors with the AMD Opteron processor, we don't put off nearly the heat so we have conserved energy and saved money by not needing as many cooling systems and solar panels,” added Nail.

With the success of the AMD Opteron processor, AISO is now looking into technology that has incorporated the award-winning AMD PowerNow!™ technology with Optimized Power Management (OPM). AMD PowerNow! decreases power consumption by optimizing performance-on-demand. By dynamically changing power states based on workload use, AMD PowerNow! technology reduces strain on data center cooling and ventilation systems, resulting in investment protection and dramatically reduced energy cost and usage.

About AMD
AMD (NYSE:AMD) designs and produces innovative microprocessors, Flash memory devices and low-power processor solutions for the computer, communications and consumer electronics industries. AMD is dedicated to delivering standards-based, customer-focused solutions for technology users, ranging from enterprises and governments to individual consumers. For more information, visit www.amd.com.