Rethinking Sustainability – How COM Designs Extend Lifecycles and Conserve Resources

The amount of electronic waste has nearly doubled since 2010 – a worrying trend for all industries that develop and rely on electronic systems. With global e-waste expected to reach 82 million metric tons by 2030, it has become one of the fastest-growing waste streams worldwide. But there are solutions, and they’re closer than you might think.

Sustainability Starts with Design 

Instead of replacing entire systems on a regular basis, modular Computer-on-Modules (COMs) allow for targeted upgrades of just the processing unit. This approach not only saves time and money, but also dramatically reduces the consumption of resources. The new COM-HPC Mini specification takes this idea to the next level, offering full performance and future-proof interfaces in a compact format. 

Same Performance, Lower Energy Consumption 

Thanks to technological advances, it is now possible to achieve the same computing power while saving around 20% energy each year. A typical computing system consumes approximately 6,400 MJ in production energy and costs around $2,000. Replacing the entire system every five years is both costly and resource-intensive. By contrast, the modular approach enabled by COM-HPC Mini can reduce energy consumption and costs by up to 50% when only the module is replaced, rather than the entire system. 

Key Benefits at a Glance 

• Longer product lifecycles through targeted upgrades

• Reduced material use and lower CO₂ emissions

• Less electronic waste by reusing base systems

• Faster time-to-market by focusing only on module development

• Greater flexibility in adapting to new requirements or standards 

Sustainability Is Not a Trend, It’s a Responsibility 

Demands for sustainable product design are increasing, driven by both regulations and end-user expectations. Studies show that nearly 50% of Gen Z and Millennials cite lack of knowledge or high costs as barriers to more sustainable behavior. COMHPC Mini helps organizations overcome these barriers through intelligent design standards, reduced energy usage, and true scalability. 

Sustainability Without Compromise 

With COM-HPC Mini, congatec proves that high performance and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, its modular architecture provides a foundation for resource-efficient, future-ready embedded computing. Choosing COMHPC Mini means investing not only in innovation, but also in a more responsible technological future. 

Energy/Cost Calculation

Assumptions

• Same computing performance, 20% efficiency improvement / energy reduction per year

• Production of a Computer System 6400 MJ, Cost 2000€, 0.37€/kWh, 5 year full Exchange

• COMs 50% production energy & cost (upgrade)

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Blog post by Christian Eder

Christian Eder is a cofounder of congatec and serves as Director Market Intelligence. Christian – with his 30 years of experience in embedded computing – is the chairman of PICMG’s COM-HPC workgroup. He is also active in a number of other PICMG working groups and has served as an editor for the following specifications: COM Express 2.0, COM Express 2.1, COM Express Design Guide, Embedded EEPROM, Embedded EAPI, and COM Express 3.0. Christian is also board member of the SGET and editor of the SMARC 2.0 and 2.1 specifications. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Regensburg, Germany.