Given the rising cost of energy, companies include it in the cost of ownership. So, if you had a server which was 13.5 times more powerful and consumed the same

Given the rising cost of energy, companies include it in the cost of ownership. So, if you had a server which was 13.5 times more powerful and consumed the same energy then you'd definitely save money. Unfortunately, SPARC would cost more up-front. So, for a fast growing company, using x86 may reduce opportunity cost. For a large, steady company, a rolling replacement programme of SPARC may be the best option.