From Insight to Action: Concrete Solutions for Energy Efficiency in IT

Awareness around energy consumption in IT is growing. The challenges are clear: AI and high-performance computing (HPC) guzzle energy, data centers are getting bigger, and sustainability is becoming a critical factor for both cost savings and regulation. But how do we translate this awareness into actual action? In this follow-up article from the one we did last month, we dive deeper into concrete solutions for improving energy efficiency in IT.

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1. Powermanagement: the low-hanging fruit

Many IT environments leave huge savings opportunities untapped due to inefficient energy management. Immediate gains can be made with relatively simple measures:

• Advanced power management settings: Modern CPUs and GPUs feature power saving modes. By properly tuning settings such as Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS), up to 40% power savings can be achieved without performance degradation.
• ‍Automatic workload scalability: By automatically distributing workloads and putting servers into lower power modes when they are less active, unnecessary consumption is avoided.
• ‍Energy-Aware Job Scheduling: jobs can be scheduled to run at times when renewable energy sources (such as solar or wind power) are optimally available.

2. Hardware: Energy Efficient Components and Architectures

The right hardware choice has a huge impact on energy consumption:

• ‍ARM-based processors: ARM chips consume less power than traditional x86 processors and are becoming increasingly powerful, making them an energy-efficient option for cloud and edge computing.
• ‍Specialized AI Chips: AI accelerators such as TPUs (Tensor Processing Units) and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) can perform AI workloads more efficiently than traditional GPUs. This leads to lower energy consumption per computation.
• ‍Solid State Drives (SSDs): SSDs consume less power than HDDs and increase data storage and processing efficiency.
• ‍Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE): This protocol reduces the power consumption of network equipment when traffic is low.

3. Cooling: The Silent Revolution of Direct Liquid Cooling

Cooling is one of the biggest energy consumers in data centers. Traditional air cooling has its limitations, but new technologies are bringing revolutionary improvements:

• ‍Direct liquid cooling: By cooling components directly with liquid, energy consumption for cooling can be as much as 90% lower than with air cooling.
• ‍Immersion cooling: Servers are immersed in a non-conductive fluid that dissipates heat much more efficiently than air, dramatically reducing the need for conventional cooling.
• ‍Heat recovery: The waste heat from data centers can be reused for district heating or industrial processes. This not only reduces energy consumption, but also contributes to circular energy solutions.

4. AI-driven Energy Management: Smart Automation

AI itself can contribute to energy efficiency in IT by optimizing energy management:

• ‍Predictive Analytics: AI algorithms can predict energy consumption patterns and automatically optimize systems before waste occurs.
• ‍Automatic cooling system adjustments: AI can monitor temperature sensors and workloads and adjust cooling strategies in real time.
• ‍Self-healing Infrastructure: AI-based monitoring can detect problems and reconfigure systems to prevent unnecessary power consumption and downtime.

5. Regenerative IT: From Disposable Model to Sustainable Management

In addition to hardware and software optimization, a sustainable approach to IT equipment is essential:

• ‍Prolonging hardware life: Better cooling and more efficient use allows equipment to last longer, requiring fewer replacements and reducing environmental impact.
• ‍Refurbishing and circular IT: Reusing components and deploying refurbished hardware reduces demand for new production and saves energy in the supply chain.
• ‍Recycling E-waste: Properly recycling old hardware prevents environmental pollution and enables reuse of rare resources.

6. From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: The Role of Regulation

Energy efficiency is not only a cost issue, but also a strategic advantage. Legislation such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) forces companies to make their energy consumption more transparent. This presents opportunity’s:

• ‍Advantage through proactive adaptation: Companies that invest in energy savings now not only comply with future regulations, but also reduce their operating costs.
• ‍Chain responsibility: Large companies will ask their suppliers for energy data. Those who respond well to this can distinguish themselves as sustainable partners.
• ‍Financial incentives: Governments offer subsidies and tax breaks for energy-efficient IT investments.

Conclusion: From Awareness to Action

The technology and strategies for energy efficiency in IT are available - now it's time to apply them widely. Through smart hardware choices, relevant data monitoring, AI-driven optimization, advanced cooling technologies and sustainable IT management, companies can save up to tens of percent of energy without sacrificing performance.

The IT sector can be a pioneer in the energy transition. It starts with a simple step: Just Do IT!

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Marco Verzijl is co-founder of Zirrow and board member of the Save Energy Foundation.

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