From an era with computers performing limited calculations and functions, the progress the global IT sector has made in just two decades has been nothing short of extraordinary. Cloud computing has made it possible for businesses to scale rapidly. Artificial Intelligence and Automation are rapidly replacing the unskilled workforce (whilst creating the need for more skilled professionals). And the Internet of Things is bringing technology to every household, making life infinitely easier. But, there is one aspect of all this that may have been neglected throughout the quest to make life more convenient \u2013 and that is energy consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem of climate change is undeniably real. The rising temperatures worldwide (July 2019 was recognised as the warmest month ever observed<\/a>), not to mention depleting water levels, melting icebergs and fires in the Arctic region, Greenland, Alaska and Australia, are all clear indicators. While activists are focused more on the emissions from aviation, automotive and energy sectors, the damage caused by the communications sector has received lesser attention. In 2016, it was reported that data centres used about 416.2 terawatt-hours of energy \u2013 a whopping 2.5-3 percent of the world\u2019s energy consumption. Predictions<\/a> further state that these data centres would consume nearly a fifth of global electricity by 2025. With Cisco\u2019s assessment of 95% all data centre traffic coming from cloud environments<\/a> by 2021, this is essentially evidence that cloud computing has a significant impact\u00a0 on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue essentially lies in data centres, which store and process extremely large amounts of data for both consumer and industrial needs. While large amounts of power going into processing and storage, equally high amounts of energy are utilised in cooling the equipment and keeping the hardware cool. In fact, research<\/a> shows that cooling takes up nearly 40 percent of the total energy consumption. Since most of these data centres need to be run 24\/7, they need to be kept in round-the-clock temperature-controlled environments. A way to reduce the energy required for cooling is to build the data centres in regions with cold climates, but recent data localisation laws make this a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One major way to curb emissions is via the use of renewable energy. Several large cloud service providers are already taking steps to reach carbon neutrality and reduce, if not eliminate, their carbon footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCloud Computing and Climate Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n