Textbook in PDF format

Implementing sustainability solutions in Information Technology (IT) or broader – in Information Communications Technology (ICT) - is a challenge but it is essential. The goal of Making IT Sustainable: Techniques and Applications is to show how it has been done, strategies, various solutions, tool sets, and best practices. Various IT areas are investigated – from data center technologies and operations to cloud computing, to green software, to cryptocurrency, to the transformative AI role in making IT sustainable, to quantum and adiabatic computing. The adoption of sustainable IT practices reduces the environmental footprint of IT by advocating for the utilization of renewable energy sources, electronic waste reduction, the design of energy-efficient IT devices, innovative cooling technologies, and circular economy. Sustainable IT is a complex and challenging field. As a result, there are many questions and uncertainties about how to implement sustainable practices across various scenarios. Making IT Sustainable: Techniques and Applications asks several insightful questions: How can environmentally sustainable data centers be built? How do we compare the carbon footprint of data centers versus public cloud, and cloud-focused IT sustainability standards? As growth in data traffic such as video streaming requires additional internet infrastructure, leading to higher emissions, how is this challenge being addressed and how can we improve energy efficiency in IT such as Adiabatic Reversible Computing, use of direct current, and dematerialization are discussed? Readers of Making IT Sustainable: Techniques and Applications will be a very diverse group. First, the readers include IT professionals who are responsible for managing and maintaining IT infrastructure and systems. The book can provide them with knowledge and guidance on how to reduce the environmental impact of their IT operations. Second, business leaders making decisions about the use of IT will find guidance in the book on how to implement sustainable IT practices in their organizations. Academics and researchers interested in the field of sustainable IT will find information and data helping them develop new ideas and innovative approaches to IT sustainability. The goal of IT sustainability is to contribute to making our planet better. Therefore, students who are interested in pursuing careers in IT or sustainability are the most important members of the book audience. The book helps them understand the key role of sustainability in IT and develop skills and knowledge in this field. Overall, everyone who is interested in reducing the environmental impact of IT can benefit from this book on sustainable IT, regardless of their professional background or level of expertise. Making IT Sustainable: Techniques and Applications is written by an IT practitioner actively working in the field of sustainable IT. The author has firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of implementing sustainable practices in IT operations. Readers will find practical solutions with examples of their implementations.
Presents various initiatives to address IT sustainability, looking at approaches for improving energy efficiency in IT such as Adiabatic Reversible Computing, use of direct current, and dematerializationFocuses on the design of sustainable IT systems and aims to be solution orientedReviews innovations in software development that contribute to GHG emission reductions such as Rust programming languageInvestigates innovations in data center technologies, green software, adiabatic reversible computing, and cloud computing
Endorsements
Introduction
Why is sustainability in information technology important?
Are the economic costs of sustainable information technology prohibitively higher than society is willing to bear?
Sustainable information technology strategies and practices
Why is this book on sustainable information technology needed?
Who can benefit from reading this book?
What differentiates this book?
What is not included in the book?
References
IT sustainability: definitions, terminology, standards, and metrics
IT sustainability: definition and terminology
IT sustainability standards
IT sustainability metrics
References
Technologies and innovative solutions for sustainable data centers
Sustainable IT operations and IT service management for achieving sustainability
Data centers and environmental concerns
Sustainable IT operations
Sustainable IT service management
General solutions for optimizing energy usage effectiveness in data centers
Carbon-aware data centers
Carbon-aware data center software
The carbon dependencies of data centers and net-zero status
Data center energy efficiency: optimizing power usage effectiveness in data centers
Energy proportionality
Static power draw and energy proportionality
Clock speed and energy proportionality
Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling
Power distribution in data centers
Optimizing temperature in data centers: higher operating temperature
Role of automation in improving energy efficiency in IT
Utilizing built-in server power management features
CPU core parking
Server power profiles
Role of server virtualization in improving energy efficiency in IT
Containerized applications and energy consumption reduction
Embodied energy
Embodied carbon
Green data storage
Green networking
Main strategies for achieving green networking
Energy-efficient networking equipment
Energy-efficient routing
Carbon-aware scheduling
Renewable energy sources
Clean fuel for power backup: hydrogen fuel cells and biogas
The use of wind turbines in data centers and data centers inside wind turbines
Nuclear-powered data centers: a future frontier in sustainable computing
Nuclear fission reactors: small modular reactors
Nuclear fusion as an energy source for data centers
Can direct current power make data centers more energy-efficient?
Benefits of direct current power
Limitations of direct current power
Direct current-powered servers
Incorporating sustainable materials into the design and operation of data centers
Environmental water footprint of data centers: cooling and water consumption
Data center cooling
Environmental monitoring in data centers: sensors and controls
Waterside economizers
Data center liquid cooling
High-density liquid cooling in data centers
Immersion cooling
Direct-to-chip cooling
Evaporative cooling
Rear door heat exchanger cooling
Carbon dioxide removal
“Data furnace” project
Sustainable data center design
High-density sustainable data centers
Modular data centers
Embedded data centers
How composable disaggregated infrastructure helps in advancing to sustainable IT
References
Green and sustainable software engineering
Criteria for green and sustainable software development
Green Software Foundation principles
Sustainable application design
Green coding practices
Green software certifications
Conclusion
References
Cloud: sustainability as a driver of cloud technology innovations
General environmental benefits and challenges of cloud computing
Why cloud computing is more environmentally friendly than traditional on-premises computing
Tools for measuring environmental impact of cloud computing services
AWS customer carbon footprint tool
Azure Sustainability Calculator and Emissions Impact Dashboard
Google Sustainability Tools: Carbon Footprint, Active Assist, Cloud Region Picker, and Carbon Sense
Google Cloud Carbon Footprint
Active Assist
Google Cloud Region Picker
Carbon Sense
IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator
Sustainable software engineering for cloud computing
Eco-friendly cloud computing architecture
Cloud-native applications and IT sustainability
The use of containerization and microservices to achieve sustainability in cloud-native computing
Sustainable cloud data storage
Sustainable cloud-based backup
Sustainable cloud networking
Cloud-native processors
Cloud providers’ initiatives and solutions for achieving environmental sustainability of cloud computing
AWS’s commitment to sustainability
Sustainability initiatives of Microsoft Azure
Sustainability initiatives of Google Cloud platform
Sustainability solutions for Oracle Cloud
IBM Sustainable Cloud
References
Sustainable high-performance computing
Green HPC in corporate sustainability initiatives
Energy-efficient solutions for high-performance computing
Energy-efficient high-performance processors
Low-power processors in high-performance computing
ARM-based processors
Hybrid and heterogeneous high-performance computing
Memory technologies
Composable systems
Intelligent packaging technologies
Open hardware platforms
The use of artificial intelligence for achieving sustainable high-performance computing
Cooling technologies in green high-performance computing
The use of renewable energy in high-performance computing
Cloud-based green high-performance computing
References
Further reading
Roles of 5G/6G and the Internet of Things in advancing IT sustainability
Sustainable cloud radio access network
Ecological effect of moving consumers to 5G phones
Sustainable telco cloud solutions
Sustainable solutions for mobile cloud computing
Sustainable edge computing
Making multiaccess edge computing sustainable
Sustainable 5G distributed edge architectures
Sustainable 5G cloudlets
Sustainable 5G micro data centers
5G-connected smart grids
Sustainable Internet of Things
Designing IoT devices for sustainability
References
Circular economy and sustainable IT
Circular economy concepts in sustainable IT
Sustainable IT manufacturing
Sustainable IT hardware
Extending IT hardware life by using of artificial intelligence and machine learning
Application of circular economy principles to embodied carbon in IT hardware
The use of sustainable materials in IT
Sustainable end-of-life strategies for IT equipment
Cascading components across multiple lifecycles
Waste electrical and electronic equipment reuse in the circular economy
The Circular Economy for the Data Center Industry
Sustainable IT equipment disposal
IT sustainability solutions in the circular economy
References
Remanufacturing programs in sustainable IT
Terminology: remanufactured, refurbished, and reuse as-is
Remanufacturing in circular economy
EEE reverse remanufacturing and WEEE collection
Remanufacturing operational processes for IT equipment
Inspection
Disassembly
Cleaning
Repair or replacement
Reassembly
Quality control
IT OEM’s remanufacturing programs
Dell Refurbished program
Remanufactured data center equipment
Product design for automated remanufacturing
Certified remanufactured IT equipment
References
Sustainable IT supply chain management and IT procurement
Environmental certifications and standards used in sustainable green IT supply chain management
Sustainable IT procurement practices
Sustainable IT procurement policies
Renewable energy procurement in IT
Green IT labeling schemes in sustainable IT supply chain
References
The environmental implications of remote working
The multifaceted role of remote working in business operations
How remote working enabled by IT services advances environmental sustainability
Reduced transportation emissions
Lower energy consumption
Less office space
The use of renewable energy sources
Technology advancements
How the environmental impact of working from home can be measured
Sustainable IT solutions used for working from home
References
Cryptocurrency and its impact on the environment
Energy cost of cryptocurrency
The Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index
How to reduce the energy cost of cryptocurrency mining
The Lightning Network
Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanisms
Renewable energy sources and mining pools
Using waste gas flare for cryptocurrency mining
Energy-efficient mining hardware
Initiatives for reducing the environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining
The Crypto Climate Accord
The BitGreen Project
Sustainable infrastructure for cryptocurrency mining
Blockware Solutions
Greenidge Generation
Northern Data
Hydro66
Marathon Digital
References
Adiabatic reversible computing
Power consumption in computing: Koomey’s Law and Landauer’s Principle
Reversible computing
Adiabatic computing
Adiabatic reversible computing
Adiabatic quantum computing
References
How quantum computing contributes to achieving sustainable IT
Quantum computing roles in addressing climate change
Is quantum computing green computing?
Thermodynamics of quantum computing
Achieving sustainable quantum computing
Sustainable quantum computing hardware
Sustainable quantum computing software
Sustainable quantum computing initiatives
Leading quantum computing companies
References
Transformative role of AI in making IT sustainable
Artificial intelligence and machine learning: basic definitions
The use of artificial intelligence in making IT sustainable
Environmental impact of artificial intelligence
Optimization of resource efficiency
Sustainable software development
Reducing e-waste
Artificial intelligence for IT operations and sustainable IT
How implementing Model Operations makes IT sustainable
How machine learning operations contribute to sustainable IT
Conclusion
References
Index
Back Cover