Lenovo Raises Energy-Efficiency Bar with Its Smallest, Quietest Desktop PC

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lenovo reinvigorated the desktop PC space today with the ThinkCentre A61e ultra small form factor desktop. As the company’s smallest, quietest and most energy-efficient desktop yet, it has a footprint the size of an average telephone book, whisper quiet performance and choices of energy-efficient, 45-watt AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual core and AMD Sempron™ single core processors, all at an affordable price tag starting at $399¹.

The ThinkCentre A61e desktop marks Lenovo’s first product with EPEAT Gold status, the highest designation a product can achieve in the ranking. Operated by the Green Electronics Council, EPEAT ranks products on a variety of environmental attributes from energy efficiency to materials use to recyclability. Many organizations use this tool to help make purchasing decisions. Recognized for its environmental attributes, the ThinkCentre A61e desktop uses up to 90 percent reusable/recyclable materials as well as 90 percent recyclable packaging. It also can be powered by an optional solar panel.

The desktop surpasses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star® 4.0 criteria with its 85 percent efficient power supply. As the first desktop in the industry to run on energy-efficient AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual core and AMD Sempron™ single core processors, it can help users save up to 50 percent in energy costs annually over previous models². For example:

• A user could save, on average, more than $20 a year in energy costs and the equivalent of the carbon dioxide emissions created by two round-trip plane flights from Boston to New York².
• A customer deploying as few as 50 desktops could expect to save more than $1,000 a year in energy costs alone. And it could help avoid more than 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.²
• A large enterprise deployment of 50,000 desktops could save more than $1 million in annual energy costs and cut more than 20 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.²

“The importance of maximizing energy efficiency and being environmentally conscious is touching all aspects of our daily lives, from the light bulbs we use to light our homes to the hybrid cars we drive to the green technology we rely on to run our businesses,” said, Peter Schrady, vice president and general manager, Emerging Products Business Unit, Lenovo. “Lenovo is committed to providing an extensive menu of environmentally-responsible, energy-efficient technology choices, and the ThinkCentre A61e desktop is our signature item. For the first time, a major PC vendor has combined small size and consistently quiet acoustics with a light weight, highly energy-efficient desktop offering at an affordable price.”

As energy prices rise, finding ways to control these variable costs through more efficient technology becomes increasingly important.

“Lenovo and AMD have a shared commitment to providing customers the most secure, innovative and energy-efficient computing experience that can exceed their unique business needs,” said Greg White, corporate vice president and general manager, Desktop Division, AMD (NYSE:AMD). “The Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e desktop is an exciting milestone in our relationship as both companies continue to collaborate to raise the bar for PC design and energy efficiency.”

A Smaller, More Nimble Desktop

According to IDC, the worldwide desktop market grew year-over-year by 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2007 with Lenovo growing 20.4 percent in this period.³ IDC forecasts worldwide shipments of the ultra small form factor desktop to grow by 52 percent from 2005 to 2010⁴.

Taking up 25 percent less space than previous models and weighing just eight pounds, the ThinkCentre A61e ultra small form factor desktop fits the shrinking real estate in today’s work environment, making it an especially good fit for customers in education, medical and financial sectors. Not only smaller in size, the PC’s typical single, low-speed fan keeps it running cool for ultimate reliability and keeping it consistently quiet whether in idle mode or stretched to the maximum for peak performance.

The ThinkCentre A61e desktop follows Lenovo’s recent introduction of the ThinkCentre A61 desktop in tower form factor to equip enterprise users with leading technologies such as I/O port disablement for security, support for up to four monitors for data-intensive tasks and high energy efficiency by meeting the EPA® Energy Star 4.0 criteria.

Pricing and Availability¹

The ThinkCentre A61e and A61 desktop start at approximately $399 and will be available in October through Business Partners and www.lenovo.com.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world’s best engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, and AMD Sempron, and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

¹Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. ThinkCentre A61e desktop price is introductory price with mail-in rebate. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

² Based on Lenovo and TBR calculations using a single AMD Athlon 64 X2-based processor. Based on a 5% per year increase in electricity rates and on a daily PC usage pattern that includes 70% of time spent in sleep state, 5% of time spent in idle and 25% of time spent in an operational state. Average electricity price based on American 2007 average retail price 8.37 cents per kilowatt hour.

³IDC WW Quarterly PC Tracker, Sept. 4, 2007

⁴Worldwide and U.S. PC Client Form Factor 2006-2010 Forecast, Richard Shim Dec. 2006