IT sector GDP 'will halve by 2020'

Though the carbon footprint of information technology devices will grow in the coming years, the gross domestic product (GDP) from the industry will halve, according to a new report.

Scientists from the US and Singapore are predicting that growing computer consumption will increase energy utilisation between 2015 and 2020, thus causing carbon footprint to rise.

The researchers looked at current power consumption from devices such as PCs, consoles, mobile devices and data centres for the study, finding a relationship with the contribution of the IT sector to the GDP of the US from the years 2009 to 2020.

According to the results, the IT industry currently generates $2.8 (£1.76) per kilogram of carbon-dioxide it releases.

By 2020, this figure is expected to be just $1.1 (70p) per kilogram, which is less than half of what it is today, making the economic benefit of using CO2 in IT devices much less.

The researchers of the study have said that their calculations may not be completely correct as there are a number of assumptions and predictions involved.

However, the report has helped in highlighting the issue of carbon footprints versus the economic benefit of technological growth.

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