NComputing Takes Home WSJ Technology Innovation Award

REDWOOD CITY, — NComputing took home the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award last month for virtualization software that allows multiple users to share a standard personal computer.

The technology slashes the cost of PC computing while lowering energy consumption by 90 percent. Each user's monitor, keyboard and mouse connect to a tiny access device — with no CPU, memory or moving parts — that connect to the shared PC.

It uses less than 5 watts of power for each additional user, compared to 115 watts for a standard PC, resulting in a 90 percent reduction in energy consumption. The cost can be as low as $90 per seat.

The technology has sold more than 500,000 seats in 70 countries, including 160,000 virtual PCs being deployed across the K-12 school system in the Republic of Macedonia.

"We are gratified by this recognition because it underscores the critical importance of our mission of bringing computing to the next billion users who, until now, have been unable to afford it," NComputing Chairman and CEO Stephen Dukker said in a statement last week. "It is only by fundamentally changing the economics of computing that our industry can meet the needs of business, education, and other under-served users around the world."

The runner-up in the contest was Zonbu, a U.S. company that created a low-cost, energy efficient PC that allows users to backup files and 20 preloaded software programs online.