A new forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC) says that the continued adoption of cloud computing could prevent the emission of more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from 2021 through 2024.
The greater efficiency of aggregated compute resources
For this new forecast, IDC uses IDC data on server distribution and cloud and on-premises software use along with third-party information on data center power usage, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per kilowatt-hour, and emission comparisons of cloud and non-cloud datacenters. The IDC report, Worldwide CO2 Emissions Savings from Cloud Computing Forecast, 2021–2024: A First-of-Its-Kind Projection presents IDC’s first global forecast of CO2 emissions savings from cloud computing.
Cushing Anderson, program vice president at IDC, said,
“The idea of ‘green IT’ has been around now for years, but the direct impact of hyperscale computing can have on CO2 emissions is getting increased notice from customers, regulators, and investors and it’s starting to factor into buying decisions. For some, going ‘carbon neutral’ will be achieved using carbon offsets, but designing datacenters from the ground up to be carbon neutral will be the real measure of contribution. And for advanced cloud providers, matching workloads with renewable energy availability will further accelerate their sustainability goals.”
A key factor in reducing the CO2 emissions associated with cloud computing comes from the greater efficiency of aggregated compute resources. The emissions reductions are driven by the aggregation of computation from discrete enterprise datacenters to larger-scale centers that can more efficiently manage power capacity, optimize cooling, leverage the most power-efficient servers, and increase server utilization rates.
The Asia/Pacific region, which utilizes coal for much of its’ power generation, is expected to account for more than half the CO2 emissions savings over the next four years. While shifting to cleaner sources of energy is very important to lowering emissions, reducing wasted energy use will also play a critical role. Cloud data centers are doing this by optimizing the physical environment and reducing the amount of energy spent to cool the data center environment. The goal of an efficient data center is to have more energy spent on running the IT equipment than cooling the environment where the equipment resides.