Avast ye! This be a machine-translated text, an’ it may contain errors, aye!
The IT industry uses a fair bit o’ power, aye. Data havens, servers, networkin’ gear, PCs, mobiles, charg’n’, coolin’. All o’ this requires energy, and all the equipment has a limited lifespan. When we be makin’ choices ‘bout infrastructure, we be also makin’ choices that affect the environment, savvy?
How Big Be the Problem, Aye?
Some numbers to ponder, ye scurvy dogs:
- Data havens ‘round the globe be usin’ roughly 1-2% o’ the world’s total power consumption
- The IT trade as a whole has a carbon footprint the size o’ the flyin’ industry
- A single Google search uses ‘bout 0.3 Wh. ‘Tis a small amount, but with billions o’ searches a day, it adds up, it does.
- Trainin’ large AI models can use as much power as a small Norwegian house uses in a whole year.
Norge er i en gunstig posisjon
Most o’ the power in Norway comes from hydropower, makin’ Norwegian data centers amongst the greenest in the world. ‘Tis one o’ the reasons why international companies be buildin’ data centers in the Northlands.
Booty o’ the Digital Seas
Booty o’ the digital seas (electronic scrap) be a growin’ problem, aye. Servers, PCs, mobiles, an’ network gear hold rare metals an’ poisonous substances that must be handled with care.
| Problem | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Short life o’ the gear | More scrap, more makin’, more usin’ o’ resources |
| Poisonous materials | Lead, mercury, an’ cadmium can foul the land an’ water |
| Rare metals | Diggin’ for ‘em harms the world an’ often happens under foul conditions |
| Lack o’ recyclin’ | Only ‘round 20% o’ digital scrap be recycled ‘round the globe |
What can ye do as an IT Swashbuckler?
Ye need not save the world on yer own, but the choices ye make in yer daily work have a true effect.
Virtualizin’ an’ Consolidation
Instead o’ havin’ a physical machine fer each service, we be usin’ virtualizin’. One server with Proxmox can run 10-20 VMs or hundreds o’ Docker containers. That means fewer physical machines, less power consumption, an’ less need fer coolin’.
Example:
| Without Virtualizin’ | With Virtualizin’ |
|---|---|
| 5 physical servers | 1 physical server |
| 5 × power consumption | 1 × power consumption (+ a bit more) |
| 5 × coolin’ | 1 × coolin’ |
| 5 × maintenance | 1 × maintenance |
Proper Sizing, Aye
A server over-provisioned (too much RAM, CPU, disk) be usin’ more power than needed, it be. A VM with 16 GB o’ RAM that only uses 2 GB be wastin’ resources, aye. Start small and scale up when ye need to, savvy?
Extend the Life o’ Yer Gear
Don’t be replacin’ hardware just ‘cause there be somethin’ newer. A server that sails smooth needs not be replaced every three years. Upgrade the RAM or the disk instead o’ buyin’ a new machine. Remove and recycle what ye truly don’t need.
Scuttle What Ye Don’t Need
Test-VMs runnin’ 24/7 without reason be wastin’ power for naught. Use snapshots an’ scuttle VMs when they ain’t in use. Set up automatic shutdown o’ testin’ gear outside o’ workin’ hours.
Cloud Services and On-Demand
Cloud services have the advantage that ye only pay (and use power) for what ye actually be usin’. A VM in Azure runnin’ 8 hours a day uses less than one runnin’ 24/7. But beware: cloud resources ye forget to delete be usin’ power as well.
Software and Resource Usage
‘Tis not just the hardware that affects the power consumption, aye. Inefficient software uses more CPU time, which means more power, it does.
- A webpage that loads 20 MB o’ JavaScript uses more bandwidth and processor power than one that be optimized to 500 KB
- A poorly written SQL query that scans the whole database uses more resources than one that be indexed correctly
- A container that runs a whole Linux distro for one small service uses more than one that be based on a minimal base image (e.g. Alpine)
This be a realm where Operations and Development overlap: the developer writes efficient code, the operator ensures it runs on properly sized infrastructure.
Summary
- The IT industry has a significant energy consumption and produces a lot o’ e-waste, aye.
- Virtualization reduces the number o’ physical machines, and thus power and coolin’.
- Proper sizing avoids wastin’ resources, savvy?
- Extend the lifespan o’ hardware instead o’ replacin’ it unnecessarily.
- Turn off what ye don’t use, and tidy up yer cloud resources.
- Efficient software uses fewer resources than inefficient software, shiver me timbers!