Is Cloud Computing Eco-Friendly?

Cloud computing has paved the way for incredible progress in the IT sector. It has entirely revolutionized existing business processes and opened the door for new industries which rely on streaming. The covid-19 lockdown perhaps most clearly illustrates the way that cloud computing has become essential to today’s industry. However, if cloud computing is here to stay, one must ask the question, is it eco-friendly?

Cloud computing relies on massive servers located in different parts of the world. Global tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Facebook for example have data centers on nearly every continent. The smooth functioning of these servers requires personnel, infrastructure, and, most importantly, energy. This is where environmental concerns come in.

Much of the world’s industry is dependent on fossil fuels and other, traditional, non-renewable forms of energy and cloud computing is no different in this regard. As far back as 2012, this was already becoming an issue in the IT industry. In 2017, Google declared that it had decarbonised all its activities — cloud computing included. This meant taking up the cause of sustainability and renewable energy. Today Google is among the largest private consumers of sustainable energy.

Microsoft too is doing its part. As of 2019, their data centers rely on renewable sources for 60% of their energy needs and are set to increase this number all the way to 100% in the next decade. Much of this is thanks to Microsoft’s unique, internal carbon tax initiative. This initiative seeks to punish departments that contribute the most to the firm’s carbon footprint. By incentivising the adoption of green sources of energy in this manner, departments of Microsoft are competing with each other to become the most eco-friendly. One can’t help but admire the novelty of Microsoft’s solution.

Last but certainly not least, is Amazon, the world’s largest provider of data centers and cloud computing. Amazon data farms are notorious in the industry for their poor energy practices. However, in 2019, after facing outrage from both employees and investors, the firm’s then CEO, Jeff Bezos made a commitment towards making Amazon entirely carbon neutral by 2040. For Amazon, this has translated into the development of huge solar and wind farms to power their data centers. To date, there are at least 9 farms of the sort and the firm is set to construct more in the near future.

In this manner, Big Tech, in one way or another, is keeping up its commitment to sustainability. It seems that the much touted ‘green cloud’ is set to be a reality in the near future.