AWS Data Centres Cut Carbon Emissions by 99% for AI Work
A study commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and conducted by Accenture has shown that an effective way to lower carbon emissions is through moving IT workloads from an on-prem infrastructure, to an AWS data centre.
The report, ‘Moving onto The AWS Cloud Reduces Carbon Emissions’, suggests AWS’s infrastructure is up to 4.1 times more efficient than on-prem. When workloads are optimised on AWS, the carbon footprint can be lowered by 99%.
Check out our Top 10: Benefits of Off-Prem Data Centres and Top 10: Benefits of On-Prem to learn more about on-prem and off-prem.
How AWS has learned to support its customers’ needs and accelerate sustainability
AWS is working to make its cloud run our customers’ businesses in the most efficient way it can, while also paying attention to its impact on the environment. The study suggested that these ways were beneficial to both the users and the planet:
Data centre infrastructure design
Lowering carbon emissions starts at the design process, where engineers are responsible for managing clear electrical distribution and top data centre cooling.
In its data centres, AWS optimises its resource utilisation to minimise low capacity and improves the efficiency of its infrastructure.
In comparison, on-premises data centres sometimes provide extra space to accommodate anticipated future growth. This underutilised space is an energy-demanding resource, with a higher associated carbon footprint.
Cooler facilities
Across the sector, data centre cooling is one of the biggest sources of energy use. AWS uses a range of cooling techniques, such as real-time data, allowing the data centre to adapt to local weather conditions. While this can be a struggle for small on-prem data centres, AWS’s newest data centre design integrates optimised air-cooling solutions alongside liquid cooling capabilities, for the most powerful AI chipsets.
Sustainable construction practices
AWS is also optimising the design of its server racks and storage rooms. In 2023, AWS saved more than 22,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, through its use of lower-carbon concrete and steel alternatives in the construction of 43 new data centre facilities.
Efficient data storage
AWS offers tools to support customers in the modernisation of data management strategies. For example, keeping data separate, such as actively used data from inactive data sets, using AWS's storage services.
Amazon aims to optimise its data centre design
Chris Walker, Director of Sustainability at AWS, shared that AWS's holistic approach to efficiency helps to minimise both energy and water consumption in our data centre operations, contributing to its ability to better serve our customers.
“We are constantly working on ways to increase the energy efficiency of our facilities - optimising our data centre design, investing in purpose-built chips and innovating with new cooling technologies,” he shared. “As AWS takes steps toward reaching Amazon's net-zero carbon by 2040, as part of The Climate Pledge, we will continuously innovate and implement ways to increase the energy efficiency across our facilities in an effort to build a brighter future for our planet.”
“This research shows that AWS's focus on hardware and cooling efficiency, carbon-free energy, purpose-built silicon and optimised storage can help organisations reduce the carbon footprint of AI and machine learning workloads,” said Sanjay Podder, Global Lead for Technology Sustainability Innovation at Accenture. “As the demand for AI continues to grow, sustainability through technology can play a crucial role in helping businesses meet environmental goals while driving innovation.”
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