Whether uploading a photo, streaming a movie or using a cloud app - the internet makes our everyday lives more convenient. But this convenience comes at a price: enormous energy consumption that often remains invisible. Every digital action - from sending an email to using data-intensive AI services - adds up to a global energy consumption comparable to that of the global aviation industry.
At a time when the climate crisis and sustainability are key issues, the IT industry is also coming under the spotlight. How can we make the digital world more efficient and environmentally friendly? And what role does green coding play in this?
The internet’s hunger for energy
At first glance, the internet appears to be an invisible global network, but behind it lies an impressive physical infrastructure. Whether writing emails, streaming videos or making search queries - everything we do online passes through global networks and ultimately ends up in data centers. These “hubs” of the internet are indispensable for the digital world, but they consume enormous amounts of energy.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centers will consume around 200 terawatt hours of electricity worldwide in 2022, which corresponds to just under 1% of global electricity consumption. By comparison, this is almost equivalent to the annual energy requirements of countries such as Thailand. This consumption will continue to rise as global data traffic increases by around 20-30% annually.
Data-intensive applications such as streaming services or AI applications in particular are contributing massively to this. Here are a few examples:
- Streaming a two-hour 4K movie requires around 15 kWh of energy - enough to keep a light bulb on for 150 hours.
- Uploading a 10 MB photo consumes around 0.2 kWh - equivalent to the power consumption of an LED lamp for around 12 hours.
- One hour of using a cloud service to process large files can consume up to 0.5 kWh, which corresponds to the power consumption of an average lamp for approx. 25 hours.
The connection between IT and power consumption
The increasing energy requirements of IT infrastructure have far-reaching effects on global electricity consumption and therefore on our environment. High energy consumption leads to increased CO₂ emissions, especially in regions that generate most of their electricity from fossil fuels.
Global electricity consumption amounted to around 28,000 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2023. IT and digital technologies account for a significant proportion of this. It is particularly problematic that many data centers are still powered by coal, gas or oil-fired power plants, which leads to high CO₂ emissions. It is estimated that the IT industry is already responsible for 2-4% of global CO₂ emissions - a proportion that is comparable to the aviation industry and is continuing to rise.
The climate targets make the urgency clear: global greenhouse gas emissions are to be drastically reduced by 2050 in order to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 °C. However, in view of the growing energy consumption due to digital technologies and developments to date, this target no longer seems achievable. This makes it all the more important to systematically restructure the economy and the technology sector in particular in order to curb climate change as much as possible.
This is where green IT comes in: more efficient technologies, the switch to renewable energies and resource-saving approaches such as green coding are no longer visions of the future, but urgently needed solutions.
Resource consumption beyond energy
In addition to energy consumption, the consumption of resources in IT is also of crucial importance. The manufacture and disposal of devices such as servers, computers and mobile devices requires a large number of raw materials, including rare earths. These raw materials are only available in very limited quantities and their extraction and processing in particular entail considerable risks for the environment. The disposal of electronic waste is also a growing problem, as many devices are not recycled or reused. A sustainable IT industry must therefore not only reduce energy consumption, but also optimize the use of resources and extend the service life of devices.
Green Coding - Code neu denken
Green Coding takes a holistic approach to minimizing the energy consumption of software and digital applications. The aim is to design digital products in such a way that they conserve resources while maximizing their functionality. Three principles play a decisive role here:
- Energy Efficiency: Software should be optimized so that its operation consumes less energy. This means, for example, that computing operations are carried out more efficiently and resource-intensive processes are minimized.
- Hardware Efficiency: The software must work efficiently with the hardware in order to reduce energy consumption. This also includes optimizing software so that it harmonizes better with existing devices and infrastructures. The aim is to achieve the longest possible hardware life cycle.
- Carbon Awareness: Developers should be aware of the CO₂ emissions generated by the operation of software and its infrastructure. The aim is to design digital products and applications in such a way that they have a minimal carbon footprint.
Shaping a sustainable digital future
The energy consumption of the internet and IT infrastructure is a significant factor in the global energy budget. Data centers contribute significantly to this consumption. However, it is possible to significantly reduce the impact through green IT and especially green coding. Here are a few examples:
- Use of green energy: Many data centers are increasingly turning to renewable energies to make their operations more climate-friendly. Switching to solar, wind or hydroelectric power can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. Large companies such as Google and Microsoft have already started to run their data centers on 100% renewable energy and are even aiming to make their entire infrastructure CO₂-neutral.
- Recycling of waste heat: Some data centers use the waste heat generated to heat neighbouring buildings or even feed it into district heating networks. One example of this is the EcoDataCenter data center in Sweden, which uses its waste heat to supply a nearby residential area with energy. Such innovative approaches not only help to optimize energy consumption, but also contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions.
The digital transformation offers many opportunities, but it also brings with it the responsibility to make our technologies as efficient and resource-saving as possible. Green coding is a crucial part of this responsibility, as it aims to operate the digital world with less energy and therefore fewer CO₂ emissions. To this end, the companies that develop and operate these technologies must also be held accountable by ensuring that their infrastructure - from software to data centers - is as green and sustainable as possible.
Overall, as a society and as an industry, we need to recognize that the transition to more sustainable IT practices is not just an option, but an urgent obligation. It is up to us to shape the digital future in a way that promotes both technological progress and the protection of our planet.
