The Power Of Sustainable Software
Author: Alexander Belokrylov
Cloud computing, the internet of things and other digital services have considerably increased internet traffic. Internet traffic itself does not consume a great deal of energy, but the other side of this process includes creating information streams and generating data, which do require a lot of computational power for processing. This data processing consumes energy and needs physical servers. Therefore, even though it may not be so straightforward at first glance, the technology sector has an impact similar to that of any other industry, which includes increased energy consumption, carbon emissions and electronic waste. The carbon footprint created by digital technology might seem surprising, as it exists in a non-physical world. However, data processing involves CO2 use, and this continues to grow with the rise in digital consumption. Energy consumption is directly associated with the online services we use. According to the Shift Project Report, global digital energy consumption is increasing by about 9% per year. Electronic waste is caused by all sorts of devices we throw away, including any outdated devices. E-waste has exploded tremendously.