Hi Watchers!
Since the rise of the internet made data centers a necessity, the facilities have grown in number, size, and capacity. The explosion of streaming, social media, e-commerce, and more have made data centers central to the modern economy. In recent years, the cloud computing that enables our work lives has accelerated data center expansion. Emerging use cases include big data applications, internet-connected appliances and mobile devices, and data storage security. Moving forward, the exploding demands and fast adoption of generative AI are unknown but significant factors.
Internet users may perceive online activity as a more environmentally friendly alternative to in-person events or physical media without awareness of the environmental impact of the data centers that make it possible. Individuals can tread more lightly in terms of carbon emissions and water impacts, but their mitigation steps are limited to the periphery of the problem. The people who design the applications we use are the people who hold the keys to reducing cloud computing’s impact.
In 2023, researchers in the telecommunications industry reported that data centers and data transmission networks constituted 0.6% of the world’s 47.5 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions for 2020. That comes to 285 megatons of GHG emissions — about the same as the world’s pulp and paper industry. If you add in end-user devices, it matches the airline industry. Data centers also consume large amounts of fresh water for cooling their equipment. A large facility uses 500,000 gallons of drinking water daily.
Cloud computing’s data center operators and IT professionals are responsible for bringing the environmental impact of the cloud to heel. These groups built out the cloud computing industry, and their daily decisions steer its direction.
Foremost, these professionals have an opportunity to tackle greenhouse gas emissions by shifting to consumption of low-carbon electricity. With its large electricity purchases and employee base, the cloud industry can pressure utilities and politicians to facilitate siting, building, and interconnecting new renewable energy power plants.
In turn, cloud computing companies must offer more sustainable options for enterprise customers. The industry also needs to innovate ways to reduce the water needed for cooling microprocessors —- from hardware that is more heat tolerant or less heat-producing, to direct liquid cooling and using non-water liquids, to allowing facility temperatures to rise.
What to do immediately in your own work life to reduce emissions? We have suggestions in our “Digital Climate Action Checklist” here