Green Computing
With more than 1/7 of the global population using Social Media, every minute transacted is taxing to the environment. We have already caused a large amount of damage to nature with our technological conquest, which is why going green and adopting methods to cut down on the adverse effects is crucial. Many companies have spent billions in coming up with novel initiatives and technologies to go forth with this Green Computing.
Alibaba:
In the East, the largest tech company in Asia, Alibaba has developed a Database Facility in China whose cooling is handled entirely by natural methods.
- The facility is located near a lake from which water is diverted to cool down the servers.
- After the cooling process is over, the heated water is allowed to flow through a long channel.
- The water is cooled down through this process.
- It is then released back into the lake at normal temperature.
Along with that Alibaba has a system to monitor sensors at various places continuously. The cooling gets automatically initiated only when the heat rises above the permissible value.
This replacement of traditional cooling systems results in up to 80% less energy consumption.
Firsthand reports suggest that there are many such “Green Data Centers” in China, but there is no official confirmation.
However, in 2015 the Chinese Ministry of Industry and ICT kick-started a first of its kind endeavor to set up such Green Data Bases for banks, industries, administrative offices and even prisons.
In the West, the responsibility of Green Computing is borne by tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
Microsoft:
Microsoft reached a huge milestone in 2014 when renewable energy sources fueled its total energy consumption. It either buys the energy or produces it through their armada of over 2000 Solar Panels.
Google:
Google is close to powering its Databases and other operations entirely through renewable energy. To date, it has collaborated with various enterprises to procure 2.2 Gigawatts of power.
Amazon:
Amazon is not far behind with plans to reach 40% renewable energy usage by the end of 2016. Their ultimate goal is to reach 100% in as little time as possible.
Future Outlook
The trend of switching to renewable energy hasn’t caught up yet in the East with many companies hesitating to use them beyond some minor projects.
But soon enough, all such technologies will be synonymous with green energy, thus ushering in a bright future of Green Computing.
