China China notifies WTO/TBT of proposed revisions of MEPS for microcomputer

China notifies WTO/TBT of proposed revisions of MEPS for microcomputer

State Administration for Market Regulation of China issued a WTO/TBT notification on April 8, 2021 on the proposed revision to the mandatory national standard “Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency and Energy Grades for Microcomputers” (GB 28380-2012). The deadline for submitting comments is 60 days after the date of notification. The date of publication has not been determined at this time (TBD). The main changes in the revision are as follows

  • The scope of application of the standard has been revised.
  • Citation standards have been added.
  • The definition of “energy efficiency rating value of microcomputers” has been deleted.
  • “Energy Efficiency Rating” and “Inspection Rules” were deleted.
  • The formula for calculating the typical amount of electricity has been revised.

The scope of application, the classification of microcomputers and the energy efficiency class of microcomputers are as follows

 

Scope of application

This standard specifies the energy efficiency class, energy efficiency limit and test method for desktop microcomputers, integrated desktop microcomputers with display function and portable computers (before the revision the underlined text is “the energy efficiency limit value, energy efficiency rating value and inspection rules”).

This standard applies to general-purpose microcomputers.

It does not apply to workstations and industrial microcomputers.

This does not apply to microcomputers with two or more independent graphic display units.

It also does not apply to microcomputers with a power supply rating of more than 750W.

It also does not apply to portable microcomputers and integrated devices with a display diagonal of less than 0.2946 m (11.6 inches).

 

Classification of microcomputers

Microcomputer Type Description.
desktop microcomputer I1 class Integrated display unit, or switchable display unit with P≤8
I2 class Integrated display unit or switchable display unit with P>8
D-1 class Independent display unit and P≤8
D2 class Independent display unit and P > 8
Integrated Desktop Microcomputer 1 P≤8
2 P > 8
portable computer 0 P≦2
1 2<P<8
2 P≥8
Note: P = (Number of CPU cores) x (CPU clock frequency (GHz)); Number of cores represents the number of physical CPU cores; CPU clock frequency refers to the maximum core frequency of TDP, not the automatic overclocking frequency.

 

Energy efficiency grade of microcomputer

There are three energy efficiency classes for microcomputers, and the class with the highest energy efficiency is Class 1. The typical energy consumption of a microcomputer in each class of energy efficiency shall not exceed the value specified in the table below.

Unit: kilowatt hour (kWh)

microcomputer energy consumption
first-class second -class Third-class
Desktop microcomputer I1 class 11.0+∑Efa 26.0+∑Efa 54.0+∑Efa
I2 class 26.0+∑Efa 46.0+∑Efa 74.0+∑Efa
D-1class 20.0+∑Efa 35.0+∑Efa 63.0+∑Efa
D2 class 25.0+∑Efa 45.0+∑Efa 73.0+∑Efa
Integrated desktop microcomputer 1 3.0+∑Efa 9.0+∑Efa 15.0+∑Efa
2 14.0+∑Efa 27.0+∑Efa 40.0+∑Efa
Portable computer 0 2.0+∑Efa 6.5+∑Efa 11.0+∑Efa
1 3.5+∑Efa 8.0+∑Efa 12.5+∑Efa
2 9.5+∑Efa 14.0+∑Efa 18.5+∑Efa
Note: ∑Efa is the sum of the power consumption coefficients of the additional functions of the microcomputer.

The original WTO/TBT Working Paper on the proposed revision to the “Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency and Energy Grades for Microcomputers” can be viewed at the following URL (in simplified Chinese)
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/TBT/CHN/21_2522_00_x.pdf

For more information on the WTO notification (G/TBT/N/CHN/1558), please refer to the following link (in English)
https://web.wtocenter.org.tw/Page.aspx?nid=13317&pid=354722

Author / Responsibility

CHEN Yang

EnviX partner

CHEN Yang