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We’re already experiencing the effects of our world’s changing climate—devastating wildfires, prolonged droughts, torrential flooding, just to name a few examples. Global energy consumption is increasing, raising carbon dioxide levels and triggering extreme weather conditions. Two key forces driving these trends are the shift to hyperscale datacenters and the explosion of internet traffic.
In short, our world is becoming more digitized, connected, and intelligent. But our planet—and all who call this beautiful place home—is paying the price. What can be done to create a more sustainable, energy-efficient world?
Innovation has led us where we are today, and innovation can lead us toward a more viable path. From the way that we produce and deliver energy to how our electronic systems are designed, there are measures that our industry can take now to ensure that all we’ve built will endure. Read on to learn about four key areas in electronics where the integration of more sustainable practices can yield brighter outcomes for the next generation.
To provide a sense of where we are—and where we are potentially headed—let’s take a closer look at our current landscape. , from 303.8 parts per million (PPM) in 1922 to over 400 PPM now, according to a project of the non-profit 2 Degrees Institute, which tracks atmospheric CO2 levels dating back 800,000 years. Not coincidentally, energy consumption has seen a 7x increase since 1952, with most of it generated via fossil fuels, according to an .
Part of what’s fueling this substantial growth in global energy usage is the shift to hyperscale data centers—massive undertakings featuring at least 5,000 servers managing petabytes of data in around 10,000 square feet of space. Their efficiency lies in their ability to swiftly process voluminous amounts of data—the data that fuels our demands for streaming video, lightning-fast financial transactions, big data analytics, and AI (both inferencing and learning). To accomplish this, however, hyperscale data centers consume enormous amounts of power. Excluding crypto, datacenter energy use was in the 220-to-330 Terawatt-hours (TWh) range in 2021, roughly 0.9% to 1.3% of global final electricity demand, according to an International Energy Agency report on data centers and data transmission networks. That’s more energy than some countries consume in a year.
Related to this is the exponential growth we’re experiencing in internet traffic. In 2021, there were 4.9 billion internet users across the world—nearly two-thirds of the global population, according to . Cisco, meanwhile, has projected to reach 396 exabytes per month this year, up from 122 exabytes per month in 2017. Altogether, the information and communication technology (ICT) sector accounts for .
While the energy dilemma in the electronics industry seems rather daunting, it is not insurmountable. For one, the servers used in newer hyperscale datacenters tend to be more power efficient than their older counterparts. The power usage efficiency (PUE)—total energy needed divided by energy used for computing—of conventional data centers is about 2.0 compared to about 1.2 for hyperscale data centers, according to a .
In addition, there are several key areas where we can expect better outcomes through the integration of more sustainable practices:
Let’s take a deeper dive into the area of system design. By applying a holistic, software-driven approach, from architecture through signoff, 草榴社区 customers have demonstrated the ability to achieve >50% energy efficiency. Let’s have a look at the main design phases to understand how 草榴社区’ solutions have enabled system designers to achieve optimal performance per watt:
草榴社区 customers have achieved these result ranges using our end-to-end solution for design and verification of energy-efficient SoCs. Software-driven, low-power design solutions, which support UPF (IEEE 1801) low-power intent, can help optimize PPA, while our low-power verification solution can help teams detect and resolve low-power bugs early in the cycle. Technologies like the 草榴社区 DSO.ai? autonomous AI application for chip design uses reinforcement learning to enhance power as well as performance and area for chips. Integrating a portfolio of low-power IP solutions can also help reduce chip power consumption while accelerating time to market. Silicon lifecycle management, providing on-chip sensors for monitoring and analytics, can generate actionable insights about power consumption.
From refrigerators that can order groceries to surgery-performing robotics, the level of intelligence, connectivity, and automation in our world is breathtaking. While each of these applications can bring tremendous benefit, they also create a substantial footprint in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions.
At 草榴社区, we believe that our role in shaping the future of Smart Everything brings not only great opportunities but important responsibilities, including for the environment. We call this our Smart Future strategy. We believe that the future is not smart unless it is sustainable, fair, and secure. The environmental aspect of this strategy has a two-pronged approach. The first prong is to partner across our business ecosystem to drive positive change. We execute on this approach in many ways. In addition to bringing to market solutions that help our customers reduce energy consumption, 草榴社区 is also part of 21 companies and organizations that have pledged this fall to the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to increase semiconductor energy efficiency by a factor of 1,000 over the next 20 years. The idea behind the is to ultimately increase “the economic competitiveness of American semiconductor manufacturers and strengthen domestic clean energy supply chains,” while building on the aims of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, according to the DoE. Initiatives such as EES2, along with commitments by other companies in the semiconductor ecosystem to mitigate their impact on our climate, are important actions toward a more sustainable future.
The second prong to our environmental strategy is to optimize our own operational footprint. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is just one of many actions we are taking to that end. In addition, our company is one of four anchor tenants in one of the largest corporate aggregated renewable energy procurement agreements to date, contracting 15MW of wind energy annually from a wind farm that went online recently in Throckmorton County, Texas. 2022 also marks our fourth year running for achieving CarbonNeutral? company certification across our global operations.
In closing, the electronics industry has an opportunity to do its part to mitigate the environmental impact of its innovations. 草榴社区 is among many in the ecosystem who are leading the charge to create a more sustainable future.