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This is something that we need to ensure is front of mind for everyone in this growing space, from global corporations to governments, as well as new tech companies and communities.
The ecological costs of data networks Data infrastructure technology has developed at such a pace that we have barely had time to step back and take a look at the opportunities and risks that emerge from its advancement. There has been discussion in recent years regarding the environmental impact of internet servers, not least in the conversation around blockchain technology and digital currencies. However, there has been less attention paid to the build, launch and eventual fall of the satellites that connect us to services which rely on geospatial data. Then there is the ecological
have established their own broadband networks, with about 500 of these being publicly owned.
On the other hand, securing
the physicality of the internet can allow commercial actors to control the flow of data passing through it and to make rules about what they view as appropriate uses of their infrastructure. Low-earth-orbit broadband provider Starlink has enabled Ukraine to maintain internet connectivity during a Russian invasion that targeted the country’s communications infrastructure. However, the providers of Starlink curtailed the use of its service ‘for offensive purposes’, demonstrating the challenges that arise when power is concentrated in the hands of just one or two providers. Elsewhere, Amazon Web
Services (AWS) suspended the access of Parler, a social media app associated with the far right, to its cloud computing services citing violations of its terms of
service related to hate speech. We may not agree with the views being expressed, and may be pleased that there is less hatred out there, but such sanctions could equally be applied by other cloud providers against human rights campaigners living under oppressive regimes, or campaigners for LGBTQ+ rights in countries where there are none. The question here is one of power and whether we are comfortable with how it may be wielded and by whom. At the ODI, one of our core principles is for everyone collecting and using data to be highly alert to inequalities, biases and power asymmetries. All organisations working in data should take proactive steps to ensure that they contribute fully and consciously to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive data ecosystem.
cost of embedding cables in the ocean floor or sourcing water to cool data servers. Air cooling was used until the carbon costs were highlighted, but water-cooling still has a high impact in energy and ecology terms, with mining for essential tech minerals such as cobalt often having a huge impact on land and people. Every cable and circuit board has an ecological footprint, but data is the driving force behind the rush for ever more capacity to store and to share. The ODI sees enormous
social, economic and environmental benefits in sharing data better. For example, we believe that increasing trust so that organisations can share and use data can help tackle greenwashing via better data assurance and data stewardship, encouraging transparency and accountability. Some
organisations have innovative approaches to tackling the environmental costs of data use, with social justice non- profit The Engine Room using a RAD (Retention, Archiving and Disposal of data) approach to its data collection and usage. This may be something that more of us consider in the future, as we ponder the ecological implications of our extensive data storage. Other innovative mitigations include using the heat produced by a UK data centre to warm up a nearby public swimming pool, and Sweden going further in the shape of Stockholm Data
‘Air cooling was used until the carbon costs were highlighted, but water- cooling still has a high impact in energy and ecology terms’
Park, whose aim is to heat 10% of Stockholm by 2035. There is little doubt that data will continue to have an ecological impact, and the design of future critical infrastructure should consider the environmental effects of their construction and continued use. We also hope that these systems can be designed to encourage collaboration and cooperation to resolve environmental concerns, utilising the power of data to ensure our advances do not come at the expense of the planet. SCW
Resham Kotecha is Head of Policy at the Open Data Institute.
For more info about energy efficiency in high-performance computing, visit:
www.scientific-computing.com/energy-environment
SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD
Summer 2023 Scientific Computing World 11
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