Microsoft Teams powers down PC usage

Microsoft Teams proved to be a reliable and popular video conferencing platform. Gaining momentum during the recent pandemic, users showed concern about its performance and the strain it placed on system resources, especially in lower-end devices. 

However, Microsoft has been working on making subtle improvements to the platform’s performance since June 2020. Microsoft’s Principal Group Program Manager, Robert Aichner, recently reported that Teams is already using 50% less power than it was a year and a half ago. In a blog post, Aichner also explained how they achieved these improvements.

The team started the process by creating a suitable framework to test out all the different scenarios pertaining to mainly group video calls and screen sharing. It evaluates this sector first as these features use the most power.

The goal wasn’t only to improve energy efficiency but also to enhance the overall user experience across all devices. This process also didn’t happen in one go but instead saw minor improvements made over many updates to achieve this result.

In summary, Microsoft has optimized the use of the camera to reduce GPU loads. They also improved the Team’s re-scaling, especially when working with different resolution groups. Finally, the developers also adjusted the GPU-based hardware acceleration.

This isn’t the end of the line, as the company promised they’ll continue working on and improving Teams. Microsoft stated that they’ll work to make Teams even more efficient by working closely with CPU and GPU vendors.