What’s going on with green data centers, why does it matter, and how do we think about it in a wider context? In this short conversation, we discuss green data centers and creating carbon neutral infrastructure.
This isn’t just about servers using electrons – the actual conversation about making our infrastructure carbon neutral includes thinking about all of the components that go into our infrastructure.
We also have an upcoming series of conversations on green data centers and carbon neutral infrastructure.
What is a “green datacenter?” Can we make the IT infrastructure we use more environmentally sound?
Maybe, but… it’s a challenging problem because fundamentally running servers uses power.
We went into how data centers use power with an eye to making them more efficient. But that’s only part of the story. We discussed ways to incent people to give up resources, CPU cycles, and idle servers. Those are the items that really help with savings.
Ultimately, building a next generation infrastructure is more about the behaviors of the users as the efficiency of the equipment. In that case, what’s holding us back?
Rob Hirschfeld, CEO and co-founder of RackN and host of the Cloud 2030 Podcast, shares insights from the January 27th discussion on data center efficiency and greening. While addressing the challenge of using power more efficiently and exploring cleaner locations for data centers, Hirschfeld emphasizes that the primary obstacle is a human behavior problem. He advocates for immediate improvements in resource utilization, portability, and supply chain performance, asserting that the benefits are pervasive and can positively impact both businesses and the environment. Hirschfeld encourages listeners to check out the full episode at the2030.cloud for a comprehensive exploration of creating greener data centers.
How do we make data centers green because, fundamentally, they are going to use electricity. But the sources of that electricity, how we respond to shortages of electricity and cost signals about that electricity are all critical to consider. These are the questions that lead us to how a green data center or green infrastructure gets created.
Our discussion also includes how infrastructure at the edge can play a role. Overall, there are A LOT of the factors that go into building and creating green infrastructure, including the motivations and signals that will hopefully change the market.
Rob Hirschfeld, CEO and co-founder of RackN and host of the Cloud 2030 Podcast, discusses the importance of green infrastructure in today’s episode. He emphasizes the need to understand the impacts of power availability on the cost and design of applications and infrastructure. Hirschfeld stresses that building for the future requires consideration of unreliable power, whether due to cost, availability, or shifting dynamics, and encourages listeners to explore the comprehensive discussion in the full podcast at the2030.cloud.
