Ask any IT professional about how to reduce the carbon footprint of a particular workflow and they’re likely to tell you that you can’t without drastically modifying it. However, a number of computer engineers with a background in environmental sciences are now building sustainable data center operations that don’t sacrifice anything in the way of real processing power. While they might work somewhat differently from the kinds of technology that users might normally expect, they still provide the same degree of performance.
Streamlining interfaces may be one of the easiest ways to build sustainable data center operations. Sophisticated GUI frameworks aren’t necessary for headless machines, but they often come preinstalled. Few UNIX servers ever actually need X Windows support, but X11 libraries are often compiled in anyway. By cutting out these and other packages, server architects can dramatically reduce the amount of electrical power they need without reducing how much processing capability is available to users logged into the system.
Green energy has a lot to do with building sustainable data center operations as well. It’s now possible to power a good portion of a data center’s workday from 100% renewable energy. All of the other power that has to be purchased commercially can be offset later on. Advanced in storage devices have helped to further drop overall power requirements.
In the near future, it’s likely that DNA-based equipment and other esoteric gear will help to further reduce power requirements. For now, sustainable server rooms are quickly filling the gap.
