Each generation of compute has always used less power or size or cost to do the same work. On net, it's all better. With SW increasing capabilities, and SW bloat, more compute is often needed, so outcome is often no real change in either direction. Govt simply doesn't want you to own any distributed compute power, nor any cryptocurrency power, etc. It wants you all as "eyeballs", and as "as a service" central service subscribing slaves, etc. Personal CPUs doing p2p video comms and apps and currency people all discovering and growing in shared freedom across the world are a threat to Govt. So it concocts some bullshit cover FUD story like "energy" or "virus" risk to now put all your privately owned computer systems on perpetual lockdown, just like you let Corona FUD do to you. If Govt really wanted to save energy, it would simply order itself to quit, leave and close all the Govt buildings worldwide, cut the power, the maintenance, all the cars, etc. Huge energy savings ;) And it's all entirely voluntary no force, they just choose to abandon it all to save the planet. And since planet saving is all the rage these days, they'd immediately hit stardom status for doing so.