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Carbon Connect: An Ecosystem for Sustainable Computing

Benjamin C. Lee, David Brooks, Arthur van Benthem, Udit Gupta, Gage Hills, Vincent Liu, Benjamin Pierce, Christopher Stewart, Emma Strubell, Gu-Yeon Wei, Adam Wierman, Yuan Yao, Minlan Yu

TL;DR

The paper tackles the rising carbon footprint of information and communication technology by proposing Carbon Connect, an ecosystem of four research thrusts—Carbon Accounting, Embodied Carbon, Operational Carbon, and Energy Economics—integrated with cross-cutting hardware–software strategies. It advocates rigorous, harmonized accounting, lifecycle strategies (chiplets, disaggregation, reliable provenance), energy-aware workload management, and policy-driven economic incentives to align private innovation with societal goals. Key contributions include the R-factor framework for embodied-carbon reduction, odometer-style hardware provenance, and demand-response and cognitive power-management architectures. The work argues that achieving a 45% reduction in ICT emissions within a decade requires aggressive decarbonization of the grid, aggressive material reuse/recycling, and coordinated interdisciplinary collaboration. Overall, it provides a blueprint for transforming how computing is manufactured, allocated, and consumed while sustaining advances in AI and other applications.

Abstract

Computing is at a moment of profound opportunity. Emerging applications -- such as capable artificial intelligence, immersive virtual realities, and pervasive sensor systems -- drive unprecedented demand for computer. Despite recent advances toward net zero carbon emissions, the computing industry's gross energy usage continues to rise at an alarming rate, outpacing the growth of new energy installations and renewable energy deployments. A shift towards sustainability is needed to spark a transformation in how computer systems are manufactured, allocated, and consumed. Carbon Connect envisions coordinated research thrusts that produce design and management strategies for sustainable, next-generation computer systems. These strategies must flatten and then reverse growth trajectories for computing power and carbon for society's most rapidly growing applications such as artificial intelligence and virtual spaces. We will require accurate models for carbon accounting in computing technology. For embodied carbon, we must re-think conventional design strategies -- over-provisioned monolithic servers, frequent hardware refresh cycles, custom silicon -- and adopt life-cycle design strategies that more effectively reduce, reuse and recycle hardware at scale. For operational carbon, we must not only embrace renewable energy but also design systems to use that energy more efficiently. Finally, new hardware design and management strategies must be cognizant of economic policy and regulatory landscape, aligning private initiatives with societal goals. Many of these broader goals will require computer scientists to develop deep, enduring collaborations with researchers in economics, law, and industrial ecology to spark change in broader practice.

Carbon Connect: An Ecosystem for Sustainable Computing

TL;DR

The paper tackles the rising carbon footprint of information and communication technology by proposing Carbon Connect, an ecosystem of four research thrusts—Carbon Accounting, Embodied Carbon, Operational Carbon, and Energy Economics—integrated with cross-cutting hardware–software strategies. It advocates rigorous, harmonized accounting, lifecycle strategies (chiplets, disaggregation, reliable provenance), energy-aware workload management, and policy-driven economic incentives to align private innovation with societal goals. Key contributions include the R-factor framework for embodied-carbon reduction, odometer-style hardware provenance, and demand-response and cognitive power-management architectures. The work argues that achieving a 45% reduction in ICT emissions within a decade requires aggressive decarbonization of the grid, aggressive material reuse/recycling, and coordinated interdisciplinary collaboration. Overall, it provides a blueprint for transforming how computing is manufactured, allocated, and consumed while sustaining advances in AI and other applications.

Abstract

Computing is at a moment of profound opportunity. Emerging applications -- such as capable artificial intelligence, immersive virtual realities, and pervasive sensor systems -- drive unprecedented demand for computer. Despite recent advances toward net zero carbon emissions, the computing industry's gross energy usage continues to rise at an alarming rate, outpacing the growth of new energy installations and renewable energy deployments. A shift towards sustainability is needed to spark a transformation in how computer systems are manufactured, allocated, and consumed. Carbon Connect envisions coordinated research thrusts that produce design and management strategies for sustainable, next-generation computer systems. These strategies must flatten and then reverse growth trajectories for computing power and carbon for society's most rapidly growing applications such as artificial intelligence and virtual spaces. We will require accurate models for carbon accounting in computing technology. For embodied carbon, we must re-think conventional design strategies -- over-provisioned monolithic servers, frequent hardware refresh cycles, custom silicon -- and adopt life-cycle design strategies that more effectively reduce, reuse and recycle hardware at scale. For operational carbon, we must not only embrace renewable energy but also design systems to use that energy more efficiently. Finally, new hardware design and management strategies must be cognizant of economic policy and regulatory landscape, aligning private initiatives with societal goals. Many of these broader goals will require computer scientists to develop deep, enduring collaborations with researchers in economics, law, and industrial ecology to spark change in broader practice.
Paper Structure (6 sections, 4 figures)

This paper contains 6 sections, 4 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Driving Applications
  2. Carbon Accounting
  3. Embodied Carbon
  4. Operational Carbon
  5. Energy Economics
  6. Conclusion

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: Embodied carbon for semiconductor fabrication. Data from industry reports, device characterization act.
  • Figure 2: Embodied carbon scenaris that vary fab electricity growth, renewable energy use, and 3R's of circular economy.
  • Figure 3: Electricity usage (2021) for datacenter and fabrication facilities. CAGR growth: 2015 to 2021. Corporate sustainability reports, EIA, and gupta21.
  • Figure 4: Operational carbon reduction (45% by 2030) achieved via 1.7x higher uptake in ICT renewable electricity compared to the grid average.