- 1 - Revision to Notification s of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for 
the Act on the Rational Use of Energy  
January  2019 
Energy Efficiency Division  
Agency of Natural Resources and Energy  
Ministry of Economy,  Trade and Industry  
 
1. Back groun d 
Under the Act on the Rational Use of Energy (Law No. 49 of 1979 ; hereinafter referred to as 
the "Energy Efficiency Law" ), the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry  (METI) shall decide  
the standards of judgement for manufacturer and importer (hereinafte r referred to as 
“manufacturer, etc.”) in regard to improve ment  of the energy efficiency performance  with respect 
to computers  included in the energy consumption equipment which is specified in the Act  
(hereinafter referred to as "energy efficiency standar ds"). Moreover,  METI shall decide  
requirements for indication of the information of energy consumption on catalog .  
Additionally, the e nergy efficiency standards shall be established taking consideration  of the 
energy efficiency of the specified energy consumption  equipment  which ha s the highest energy 
efficiency and other related factors. (It is called the "Top Runner Program".)  
 METI propos es a new energy efficiency standard for computer s in order to promote 
rationalization of energy use pertaining to computers  in Japan and disseminate  energy efficient 
computer s in order to cope with the recent increase of energy consumption, global warming 
problem and so forth.   
 
2. Outline of amendment  
New energy  efficiency standards  are established for  computer s. 
(1) Target s cope  
Server-type computer s and client-type computer s 
 
(2) Target fiscal year  
Target fiscal year is set to be FY 2021 for se rver-type computer s, and FY202 2 for 
client -type computer s. 
 
(3) Measurement method  of energy consumption efficiency  
In the case of server -type computers , the value of energy consumption efficiency  shall be 
obtained  as a geometric average  of each performance  of CPU, memory and storage per 
power  consumption , which is  measured by method defined in SERT ver2.0.  
In the case of client -type computers , the va lue of energy consumption efficiency shall be 
obtained as the annual amount of energy consumption (kWh/year ), which is  measured by 
method defined in  JIS C 62623:2014 . 
 
(4)Target standard value  
In the case of server -type computers, the target standard  value  is set by the type of CPU 
and the number of CPU sockets.   
In the case of client -type computer s, the target standard value  shall be calculated by 
formulas of standard energy consumption efficiency  which  is set b y the type of products, P 
score, screen size and cabinet body capacity . The formulas includes  adding a TEC  (Typical 
Electricity Consumption)  correction value which increment TEC in accordance with 
additional functions of products.    
 
- 2 -     
   Table 1: Server -type computer s 
CPU type  No. of CPU sockets  Category name  Standard  energy 
consumption 
efficiency  
x86 1 A 8.9 
2 B 11.9 
4 C 8.9 
SPARC  1 D 6.3 
2 E 4.2 
4 F 3.5 
Power  1 G 4.6 
2 H 4.9 
4 I 4.2 
Remarks 1. “Server -type computer” refers to a computer that is designed to operat e 24 hours a 
day and provide  services on a network, and which can be accessed only via the 
network.  
2. "x86" refers to CPUs, designed to be able to execute multiple commands differing 
in number of bits and having a 64-bit architecture compatible with the 3 2-bit 
architecture.  
3. "SPARC" refers to CPUs  other than ones designed to be able to execute multiple 
commands differing in number of bits , with both the decimal floating point opera tion 
and the register -window mechanism . 
4. "Power" refers to CPUs  other th an ones designed to be able to execute multiple 
commands differing in number of bits , with the decimal floating point opera tion but 
with no  register -window mechanism . 
 
  Table 2:  Client -type computer s 
Type of computer  Performance 
of CPU s 
[P score ] Screen 
size Cabinet  
body 
capacity  C
a
t
e
g
o
r
y 
n
a
m
e Standard  energy consumption 
efficiency （kWh/ year） 
Notebook computers  8 less than 15inch 
less 
than ― J E= 
5.21+TEC MEMORY +TEC INT_DISP
LAY+TEC STORAGE +TEC GRAPHIC  
15 inch 
or 
more  ― K E=7.75+TEC MEMORY +TEC INT_
DISPLAY +TEC STORAGE +TEC GRAP
HIC 
8 or more  ― ― L E=11.34+TEC MEMORY +TEC INT
_DISPLAY +TEC STORAGE +TEC GRA
PHIC  
 
- 3 - Desktop 
Computers  Integrated  8 less than ― ― M E=39.87+TEC MEMORY +TEC INT
_DISPLAY +TEC STORAGE +TEC GRA
PHIC 
8 or more  ― ― N E=53.32+TEC MEMORY +TEC INT
_DISPLAY +TEC STORA GE+TEC GRA
PHIC 
Separate d  
 ― ― 5 liter less 
than O E=29.59+TEC MEMORY 
+TEC STORAGE +TEC GRAPH IC 
― ― 5 liter  
or more, 
but less 
than 20 
liter P E=31.33+TEC MEMORY +TE
CSTORAGE +TEC GRAPHIC +TE
CPOWER  
― ― 20 liter a  
or more, 
but less 
than 35 
liter Q E=28.45+TEC MEMORY +TE
CSTORAGE +TEC GRAPHIC +TE
CPOWER  
― ― 35 liter 
or more  R E=40.47+TEC MEMORY +TE
CSTORAGE +TEC GRAPHIC +TE
CPOWER  
Remark s 1 "P score" refer s to Performance Score, represent the following values.  
P=[the number of CPU cores ]×[CPU clock speed  (GHz) ], where  "the number of 
cores " represents the  number of physical CPU cores  and "CPU clock speed " represents 
the Max TDP (thermal design power consumption) , not the turbo boost frequency.  
2 "Screen size"  refers to the centimeter -denominated quotient, rounded at one di git 
below the decimal  point, of division of the diagonal outer dimension of the display 
area of the display screen by 2.54.  
3 " Cabinet  body capacity  " is a capacity of electronic components that houses parts of the 
hardware together  in terms of the capaci ty L (liter) of the case to be kept.  
4 E represent s the following values.  
        E: Standard energy consumption efficiency (kWh/year)  
5 TEC MEMORY , TEC INT_DISPLAY , TEC STORAGE , TEC GRAPHIC  and TEC POWER  are TEC 
correction value  show n in the following.  
TEC MEMORY : TEC correction value  for main memo ry (kWh /year ) 
TEC INT_DISPLAY : TEC correction value  for display  (kWh /year ) 
TEC STORAGE : TEC correction value  for additional interna l storage element  (kWh /year ) 
TEC GRAPHIC : TEC correction value  for the discrete GPU (kWh /year ) 
TEC POWER : TEC correction value  on power suppl ies (kWh /year ) 
 
Table 3:  TEC correction value  (kWh /year） 
Cate
gory 
nam
e TEC correction value  
Maximum 
main 
memory 
capacity  Display  Additional Internal 
Storage  element  Discrete 
GPU  Power 
supplies  17.4 inch less  than 17.4 inch or more  SSD 2.5 
HDD  3.5 
HDD  
J  
[GB]×0.186  (8.76×0.30)×( viewable screen area 
[inch2]×0.0300  
＋screen resolution [M-pixel]×0.244)  0 2.510  － 4.198  － 
K － 
L －  
 
- 4 - M  
[GB]×0.248  (8.76×0.35)×( viewa
ble screen area 
[inch2]×0.0300＋ 
screen resolution 
[M-pixel] ×0.244)  (8.76×0.35)×( viewa
ble screen area 
[inch2]×0.0393)  3.140  20.38
0 0.587×FB_
BW [GB/s]
＋30.463  
※Up to 130  － 
N － 
O － － － 
P － － Rated input  
power ×0.0543
[W] Q － － 
R － － 
Remark s 1 "Maximum main memory  capacity " refers to the maximum  memory  capacities  
excluding cache memory  capacities . (unit: GB) 
2 "Viewable s creen area" refers to the value obtained by dividing the diagonal outer 
diameter dimension of the display screen in centimeters by 2.54 to decimal point , and 
the value obtained by squaring the numerical value rounded off to the second place or 
less. (unit:  inch2) 
3 "Screen resolution" refers to the total number of pixels displayed on the screen .(unit:  
megapixel) . 
4 "Additional in ternal  storage element " refers to  storage  element  which is incorporated in 
SSD or 2.5 inch  HDD or 3.5 inch HDD.  
5 "the discrete GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)" refers to  a processor having image data 
processing dedicated local memory. The performance of the stand -alone GPU is 
expressed by displaying FB_BW (frame buffer bandwidth). The frame buffer 
bandwidth is a memory ar ea for temporarily storing image data to be displayed on the 
screen  (unit: GB/s) . 
6 "Power supplies " refers to  the rated input of the internal power suppl ies (unit: watts ). 
 
(5) Standard method  
In regard to server-type computers which manufacturer , etc.  would ship for Japanese 
market in each fiscal year since target fiscal year, weighted average value of calculated 
energy consumption efficiency  by the volume of shipments of each manufacturer, etc.  in 
each division  shall not fall below the target standard va lue. 
In regard to client -type computers which manufacturer, etc. would ship for Japanese market 
in each fiscal year since target fiscal year, weighted average value of calculated energy 
consumption efficiency by the volume of shipments of each manufacturer , etc.  in each 
division shall  not exceed  the target standard value corrected according to the specification of 
computer s. 
 
(6) Labelling requirement  
Manufacturer, etc. shall indicate energy consumption efficiency, etc. of these products  on 
catalogs or docu ments which is provided to consumers . 
 
3. Proposed date of entry into force  
 Around spring  of 2019.