Photo Credits: Morris, A. (2020, February 27). Data centers use less energy than you think. Northwestern Now. Retrieved from
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/02/data-centers-use-less-energy-than-you-think/
by Paul Macfarlane
Over the past 20 years, we have seen exponential growth in the amount of data used by companies, governments, non-profits, universities, you name it. The data typically has to be stored in data centers: central locations that collect, store and process data. Conventional wisdom suggests that using more data will lead to more energy use. The reality, however, paints a different picture. Researchers at Northwestern University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Koomey Analytics developed a comprehensive study on how much energy data centers use. Their findings were that, despite massive growth in the amount of data used, energy use in data centers has been relatively flat. This indicates that data centers have actually been very efficient in their use of data. While it is a positive sign that data centers have been efficient, Eric Masanet, an adjunct professor in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and leader of the study on data usage, warns that we should not be complacent (Morris). Masanet mentions that “We think there is enough remaining efficiency potential to last several more years. But ever-growing demand for data means that everyone — including policymakers, data center operators, equipment manufacturers and data consumers — must intensify efforts to avoid a possible sharp rise in energy use later this decade.” In sum, then, while it is good that data centers use energy efficiently at the moment, we need to continue to be proactive in determining new and efficient ways to store, retrieve, and control data.
Over the past 20 years, we have seen exponential growth in the amount of data used by companies, governments, non-profits, universities, you name it. The data typically has to be stored in data centers: central locations that collect, store and process data. Conventional wisdom suggests that using more data will lead to more energy use. The reality, however, paints a different picture. Researchers at Northwestern University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Koomey Analytics developed a comprehensive study on how much energy data centers use. Their findings were that, despite massive growth in the amount of data used, energy use in data centers has been relatively flat. This indicates that data centers have actually been very efficient in their use of data. While it is a positive sign that data centers have been efficient, Eric Masanet, an adjunct professor in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and leader of the study on data usage, warns that we should not be complacent (Morris). Masanet mentions that “We think there is enough remaining efficiency potential to last several more years. But ever-growing demand for data means that everyone — including policymakers, data center operators, equipment manufacturers and data consumers — must intensify efforts to avoid a possible sharp rise in energy use later this decade.” In sum, then, while it is good that data centers use energy efficiently at the moment, we need to continue to be proactive in determining new and efficient ways to store, retrieve, and control data.
This topic of data usage provides a perfect example of how the ecological footprint of
technology can be measured in the IPAT model.
technology can be measured in the IPAT model.
Photo Credits: Fig. 1-14, p. 17 Miller, G. T., and S. E. Spoolman. 2015. Essentials of Ecology. Seventh Edition. Cengage Learning,
Stamford, CT. ISBN: 978‐1‐28519‐726‐5.
Stamford, CT. ISBN: 978‐1‐28519‐726‐5.
Notice how in the IPAT model, particularly in developed countries, that there are arrows
in both directions. The red array pointing up represents an increase in footprint caused
by technology use, and the green arrow pointing downwards represents the reduction
of the footprint by using energy-saving/green tech. In the case of Data Centers, we see
a red arrow that comes from the increase in data usage, but also a green arrow that
might represent the new technological innovations that lead to less energy use in data centers.
in both directions. The red array pointing up represents an increase in footprint caused
by technology use, and the green arrow pointing downwards represents the reduction
of the footprint by using energy-saving/green tech. In the case of Data Centers, we see
a red arrow that comes from the increase in data usage, but also a green arrow that
might represent the new technological innovations that lead to less energy use in data centers.
I don’t view this topic as overly controversial or complicated. The amount of data in demand by technology users, creators, data centers, websites, private organizations, governments, research institutes, and others is not going to decrease anytime soon. Data is the name of the game today in business, and businesses want more data for analysis and decision making. It is clear then that we need to continue to push the envelope and innovate so that as we use more data, we do not use a significantly larger amount of energy.
Citations:
Masanet, E., Shehabi, A., Lei, N., Smith, S., & Koomey, J. (2020). Recalibrating global
data center energy-use estimates. Science, 367(6481), 984–986.
data center energy-use estimates. Science, 367(6481), 984–986.
Miller, G. T., and S. E. Spoolman. 2015. Essentials of Ecology. Seventh Edition. Cengage
Learning, Stamford, CT. ISBN: 978‐1‐28519‐726‐5.
Morris, A. (2020, February 27). Data centers use less energy than you think.
Northwestern Now. Retrieved from
Northwestern Now. Retrieved from
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/02/data-ce
nters-use-less-energy-than-you-think/
nters-use-less-energy-than-you-think/
Paul Macfarlane is the author of this blog post, correct?
ReplyDeleteYes I am, updated the post to indicate that haha.
ReplyDeleteI like that you connect an interest in the Computer Science field and its impact on ecosystems. You did a great job at explaining the need for green energy to store the data. With data warehouses being built to store the large amounts of data, how do you think that companies will be incentivized to include green technologies?
ReplyDeleteThis was a topic that I did not previously know much about so it was nice to learn more about it. It is encouraging that data centers are currently very efficient. Despite this, iwas good that you emphasized that we still need to come up with new solutions so this does not become a significant problem in the future.
ReplyDeleteWe do not necessarily hear a lot on the topic of energy use and how much energy we use everyday. With that being said I really enjoyed this topic! I think it's great that you highlighted this topic, and also said there needs to be more solutions to help decrease the amount of energy used. I agree that data is the name of the game and will be around for a very long time, but finding ways to control it would be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting topic to chose for this because I feel like not a lot of people think about this. I liked how you addressed how it could become a problem but we have to stay proactive. It was interesting to me that so far data centers have been using energy efficiently.
ReplyDeleteI had never considered how much energy those data centers used or thought about their rise but that is a very good topic to be informed on. If we do start using more energy per data we could be in serious trouble.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this topic because it was very interesting to read about. I have never thought about this topic and It was interesting to read about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. It's surprising that data centers have been able to manage the increased need for data by keeping energy levels relativity flat. Hopefully this continues for quite some time, but it is good that you acknowledged that this will not be the case forever.
ReplyDeleteIt's comforting to see that data centers employ mechanisms in place that keep energy consumption low. Did really know about anything related to this topic which made it all the more fascinating. Hopefully technology will advance with more energy efficient innovations.
ReplyDelete