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The Costs of Making a DRAM Chip

Anonymous Coward writes "Researchers at the United Nations University in Tokyo studied the physical and environmental costs to produce one 32-megabyte DRAM chip. Their conclusion? The UNU team found that to make every one of the millions manufactured each year requires 32 kg of water, 1.6 kg of fossil fuels, 700 grams of elemental gases (mainly nitrogen), and 72 grams of chemicals (hundreds are used, including lethal arsine gas and corrosive hydrogen fluoride)."

10 of 473 comments (clear)

  1. eep.. by miruku · · Score: 4, Funny

    dont eat any old simms or dimms then kids...

    --
    MilkMiruku
    1. Re:eep.. by scotch · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ok, kids, go ahead and eat those old simms and dimms.

      --
      XML causes global warming.
  2. Take action! by LiftOp · · Score: 4, Funny
    I'm gonna throw my box away, pronto!

    No wait, then it'll sit in a landfill.... I know, I'll BURN it!

  3. Does that mean..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...that the 32kg of water go away, and are never to be seen again? Oh no!!! We could run out of water!!!

    1. Re:Does that mean..... by brer_rabbit · · Score: 3, Funny
      Think of the PEOPLE!!!!

      Soylent DRAM is made from people!

  4. Save the Nitrogen! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    700 grams of nitrogen? But....the atmosphere is, like, 78% nitrogen or something. What happens if we use it all up? We'll have only 22% of the atmosphere left, and that's mostly oxygen, which is a lethally corrosive and highly flammable gas. We'll all die!

  5. Re:32kg of water PER CHIP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You must work for NASA. 32kg of water at STP = 32 liters = a tad less than 8 gallons, not 1.7 gallons.

  6. RAM makers will consume the earth? by mveloso · · Score: 4, Funny

    My god, at this rate RAM production will consume all of Earth's resources! They must be stopped before Earth is transformed into a floating mass of DRAM!

  7. During the making of this software... by Chocolate+Teapot · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...programmers consumed 2700 hamburgers, 1503 pizzas (276 vegetarian, 1227 containing meat or meat by-products), 16204 cans of soda (assorted), 790 bags of microwave popcorn and 1 office chair. Three programmers were temporarily blinded while downloading movies & images for research. No animals were harmed...Oh, hang on, I forgot about the ones in the burgers & pizza.

    --
    Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise. - William Shakespeare
  8. Software ingredients by S.I.O. · · Score: 3, Funny

    For every single retail copy of Windows XP you need:
    1.45 kg monopoly
    3.5 inches FUD whitepaper
    2.5 ml fresh blood from a GNU developer
    133 million miles Gates evangelizing tour
    7 outrageous "OSS = anarchists"-type lies
    4,51 GW Ballmer "Developers, developers!" scream
    5 spelling errors from Cmdr Taco