The Ilmenau School of Green Electronics (ISGE) was launched at TU Ilmenau with a kick-off on December 17, 2024. Funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation with a volume of more than 5 million euros, twelve doctoral students are researching the future of information technology (IT). Over the next four years, they will be working on sustainable and climate-neutral IT along the entire value chain - from production and operation to repair and recycling.
From a simple Google search query to the use of video streaming services and the operation of entire data centers - modern IT services have become an integral part of our everyday lives. The consequences: the consumption of large amounts of energy and valuable raw materials such as rare earths. In addition, there are vast amounts of electronic waste, some of which cannot be recycled - with harmful consequences for our climate.
One key to resource-saving and climate-friendly IT lies in so-called green electronics, which is now being researched holistically at the Ilmenau School of Green Electronics (ISGE) at TU Ilmenau. In twelve doctoral projects and one post-doctoral project, young scientists are working intensively on the development of sustainable IT along the entire value chain - from intelligent materials to energy-saving data processing and long-lasting electrical products.
At the beginning of 2024, the university called on scientists to submit innovative The selected research teams from various disciplines work together on an interdisciplinary basis and pool their expertise with the aim of developing sustainable electronics within a self-contained circular economy in which electronics can be easily reintegrated into the cycle at the end of their life cycle and are therefore largely climate-neutral.
With its holistic and interdisciplinary concept, ISGE can be a pioneer in the field of green IT and electronics, explains Matthias Stolzenburg, Program Manager for Resource Efficiency at the Carl Zeiss Foundation:
Sustainability in information technology is a pressing field, but unfortunately one that still receives too little attention. Developments in hardware and software development as well as in microelectronics are still mainly aimed at increasing performance. With its holistic approach, the Ilmenau School of Green Electronics is leading the way for the IT of the future. It therefore fits perfectly into our resource efficiency funding priority, in which we focus on the technological side of sustainability - from critical raw materials to the circular economy.
According to Matthias Stolzenburg, At the ISGE, they can not only focus on their doctoral topics, but also contribute to the further development of science and society.
Prof. Stefan Sinzinger, Vice President for Research and Young Scientists at TU Ilmenau and initiator of the ISGE, wants to take an important step towards establishing a circular economy in electronics with this project:
We are in the middle of a digital revolution that is leading to a dramatic increase in resource consumption. If we take climate targets seriously, we urgently need to address this issue. Green electronics are at least as important as areas such as mobility or building insulation - and often even more important.
He advocates the reuse of valuable materials in order to reduce the amount of materials used in electrical appliances, minimize their energy consumption and recycle more raw materials.
Prof. Kai-Uwe Sattler, President of TU Ilmenau, emphasized the strategic importance of ISGE for the university:
The advances in resource-efficient electronics are an important step for our university and motivate us to embark on new research directions that address existing challenges and at the same time strengthen the international competitiveness of TU Ilmenau. The Ilmenau School of Green Electronics is an outstanding example of this approach - it enables us to participate in international research activities and develop sustainable solutions to pressing problems.
The ISGE currently focuses on three areas , under which the 13 research projects are grouped:
- Energy-efficient computing : the aim is to develop technologies and processes that minimize the energy consumption of computer systems and thus maximize the computing power per unit of energy consumed.
- Bio-inspired microelectronics : Here, biological systems such as the human brain are taken as a model in order to develop new technologies for microelectronics. The aim is to improve the performance of electronic components by transferring biological concepts to them.
- Smart materials, devices and technologies : This area is concerned with the development of intelligent materials and technologies. Such materials could, for example, change their electrical conductivity or deform mechanically in order to react to environmental changes.
