Reducing cloud computing's carbon emissions in the business world Francine Bennett Mastodon C
Who are Mastodon C? London-based startup Tools and services to make businesses' cloud computing massively greener Corporate mission: to reduce global emissions by 1%
'Public cloud' computing
Cloud computing is growing fast Source: The Economist
Carbon emissions are growing fast Year Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Centre
"The world is locking itself into an unsustainable energy future which would have far-reaching consequences" International Energy Agency, November 2011
IT is a big contributor to emissions Source: McKinsey & Co
2006 Bruno & Lígia Rodrigues
Why target cloud computing? Usage is tripling year on year Major differences between cloud service providers Work is mobile and switching costs are low
Making it happen
The footprint of a cloud server Power source PUE* of data centre * Power Usage Effectiveness Power draw of server
What is PUE? Other energy losses 4KW goes in 2KW used by servers Power for cooling, security, lighting, etc Data centre
What is PUE? Other energy losses 4KW goes in 2KW used by servers Power for cooling, security, lighting, etc Data centre
How much do power sources differ? Grid emissions per kwh, by country Source: Amee/Defra
The footprint of a cloud server Power source PUE of data centre Power draw of server
"While this sounds like an interesting project, I'm afraid we don't make these sorts of data points available."
"While this sounds like an interesting project, I'm afraid we don't make these sorts of data points available." "OK, no problem. Is there any public industry data which you regard as high quality, which you would recommend if we're making estimates? Also would be great to know if [Company] has any green power or efficiency initiatives which we should be aware of in our modelling."
"While this sounds like an interesting project, I'm afraid we don't make these sorts of data points available." "OK, no problem. Is there any public industry data which you regard as high quality, which you would recommend if we're making estimates? Also would be great to know if [Company] has any green power or efficiency initiatives which we should be aware of in our modelling." "None that I'm aware of, but we continually and relentlessly seek even more efficient operations."
Determinants of footprint
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design 1.6
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design Utilisation 1.6
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design 1.6 Utilisation 1.2
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design 1.6 Utilisation 1.2 Local climate
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design 1.6 Utilisation 1.2 Local climate 2.0
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design 1.6 Utilisation 1.2 Local climate 2.0 Power source
Determinants of footprint Multiplier effect Physical design 1.6 Utilisation 1.2 Local climate 2.0 Power source 8.0
Determinants of footprint
The footprint of a cloud server Power source PUE of data centre Power draw of server
The footprint of a cloud server Power source PUE of data centre Power draw 380W
The footprint of a cloud server Power source PUE 1.5 + cooling Power draw 380W
The footprint of a cloud server Power source depends on location PUE 1.5 + cooling Power draw 380W
picture of oregon here Wendell Ojai 2010
The footprint of a cloud server
The footprint of a cloud server
The footprint of a cloud server
The footprint of a cloud server
This is Bruce.
This is Bruce. Bruce needs to make his cloud computing greener.
Bruce's problems Latency Legal and data protection Cost FUD* and greenwash Lack of data *Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Solving Bruce's problems Latency Legal and data protection Cost FUD* and greenwash Lack of data *Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Solving Bruce's problems Latency Legal and data protection Cost FUD* and greenwash Lack of data *Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Solving Bruce's problems Latency Legal and data protection Cost FUD* and greenwash Lack of data *Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Isn't the cloud green already? Cloud computation is more efficient than using your own servers Cloud computation is greener than using your own servers
Isn't the cloud green already? Cloud computation is more efficient than using your own servers Cloud computation is greener than using your own servers
efficient green
From Time inc
ThinkGeoEnergy
Isn't the cloud green already? Hardware efficiency is improving rapidly Footprint will drop to insignificant levels
William Stanley Jevons 1835-1882
2012 Simeon Bennett
Isn't the cloud green already? Hardware efficiency is improving rapidly Footprint will drop to insignificant levels
Solving Bruce's problems Latency Legal and data protection Cost FUD* and greenwash Lack of data *Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Per Year, Virginia (AWS East) ==
The footprint of a cloud server
Solving Bruce's problems Latency Legal and data protection Cost FUD* and greenwash Lack of data *Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Wrap up and summary
Recap Cloud computing is growing; its footprint is big; its footprint is a big part of global total emissions Cloud vendors are not willing to share data, but we can make good estimates Power source is the most important factor There are some dangerous myths. In particular, efficient doesn't mean green, and Jevons' paradox can swallow future efficiency gains We can put this all together to make businesses' cloud computing greener
IT is a big contributor to emissions Source: McKinsey & Co
From Time inc
ThinkGeoEnergy
1%
We're on a mission to reduce global emissions by 1% "Herds of intelligent roaming compute jobs, migrating from datacentre to datacentre, in search of cold iron." @mrchrisadams Francine Bennett www.mastodonc.com @MastodonC @fhr