Read the full story in Nature.
As machine-learning experiments get more sophisticated, their carbon footprints are ballooning. Now, researchers have calculated the carbon cost of training a range of models at cloud-computing data centres in various locations. Their findings could help researchers to reduce the emissions created by work that relies on artificial intelligence (AI).
A digital sustainability strategy should incorporate both the facilities and IT operations, even for colocation operators. This report covers strategies, software tools and metrics that can help drive up IT efficiency.
Read the full story at MIT Technology Review.
Companies are pushing more server farms into the hearts of population centers.
The Uptime Institute has released a series of reports on data center sustainability. The reports are:
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Facing criticism from politicians and environmentalists, the cryptocurrency mining industry has embarked on a rebranding effort to challenge the prevailing view that its electricity-guzzling computers are harmful to the climate. All five of the largest publicly traded crypto mining companies say they are building or already operating plants powered by renewable energy, and industry executives have started arguing that demand from crypto miners will create opportunities for wind and solar companies to open facilities of their own.
Read the full story at Environment + Energy Leader.
CyrusOne competes in the data center industry and has a portfolio of more than 40 enterprise-class facilities across three continents. That’s 4 million square feet in all. It is a voracious water user — to run its facilities powered by the electric grid. But it says that it is cutting that consumption by switching fuel sources and buying more renewable electricity.
Read the full story by Reuters.
The vast amounts of electricity needed to mine bitcoin has ignited a debate about whether the energy behind the operation is worth the potential environmental costs.
But one company in western Pennsylvania believes that they have found a way to put crypto mining to work to clean up their community.
Stronghold Digital Mining SDIG.O uses waste left behind by decades-old coal power plants to generate electricity that powers hundreds of supercomputers working to mine bitcoin.
Read the full story in Scientific American.
The cloud is not only material but also an ecological force.
Read the full story in The Guardian.
Climate experts warn that plans to repurpose waste gas is not a solution, but more like placing a Band-Aid over a gaping wound.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Cryptocurrency miners are flocking to New York’s faded industrial towns, prompting concern over the environmental impact of huge computer farms.
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