Data Centers Of Major Software Companies

[petrushkagoogol]

Data centers of major Internet players store user data on magnetic media, which of course requires electricity.

 

How much do they contribute to the global carbon footprint by utilizing large amounts of electricity and dissipating heat as a result ?  :vava:

[pzkpfw]

You could help by turning off your computer.

[petrushkagoogol]

You could help by turning off your computer.

 

Servers carrying user and transaction data  need to have zero downtime and even mirror servers in case one of the key servers goes down. Large data-centers generate more heat energy than entire townships. 

[exchemist]

Servers carrying user and transaction data  need to have zero downtime and even mirror servers in case one of the key servers goes down. Large data-centers generate more heat energy than entire townships. 

Data  please. If you can provide some, it might be possible to rank data servers among the users of electricity and then estimate how much of that electricity is from fossil fuel. But since we are converting electricity progressively to renewable sources or nuclear, the figures will soon be wrong.  

[petrushkagoogol]

Data  please. If you can provide some, it might be possible to rank data servers among the users of electricity and then estimate how much of that electricity is from fossil fuel. But since we are converting electricity progressively to renewable sources or nuclear, the figures will soon be wrong.  

 

http://money.cnn.com/2014/04/07/technology/innovation/data-centers-heat/index.html

 

Please peruse the link, it is approx 3 years old but the problem still remains.   :eek:

Edited November 25, 2017 by petrushkagoogol

[exchemist]

http://money.cnn.com/2014/04/07/technology/innovation/data-centers-heat/index.html

 

Please peruse the link, it is approx 3 years old but the problem still remains.   :eek:

Well then, you can answer your own question, at least for the USA. Electricity generation is apparently responsible for  29% of CO2 emissions, according to this source: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions , so as data centres are said to consume 2% of US electricity generation, that would mean data centres are responsible for 0.58% of CO2 emissions.  

 

I'm not sure that is a number I find terribly shocking.

[petrushkagoogol]

Well then, you can answer your own question, at least for the USA. Electricity generation is apparently responsible for  29% of CO2 emissions, according to this source: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions , so as data centres are said to consume 2% of US electricity generation, that would mean data centres are responsible for 0.58% of CO2 emissions.  

 

I'm not sure that is a number I find terribly shocking.

 

If the global cloud computing industry were considered to be a single country, it would be the fifth-largest in the world in terms of energy consumption.

 

(From the link)

[exchemist]

If the global cloud computing industry were considered to be a single country, it would be the fifth-largest in the world in terms of energy consumption.

 

(From the link)

That must be ballocks, then.