Low-Carbon Computing

Low-Carbon Computing: Designing Hardware, Software, and Data Centers for Sustainability

The digital revolution has transformed every aspect of modern life but it has also created one of the fastest-growing sources of energy demand and carbon emissions. Low-Carbon Computing: Designing Hardware, Software, and Data Centers for Sustainability is your complete guide to building a future where powerful computing and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

This book demystifies the environmental impact of technology and provides clear, actionable strategies for reducing it. From energy-efficient processors, memory systems, and modular hardware, to sustainable software design, carbon-aware scheduling, and green data center practices, you'll learn how every layer of the computing stack can contribute to sustainability. Real-world case studies from industry leaders, academic initiatives, and government projects illustrate both successes and lessons learned, while practical checklists, metrics, and tools help you measure and optimize your own systems.

Key insights include:

• How to assess the carbon footprint of hardware and software across their full lifecycle.
• Practical approaches to improving data center efficiency with cooling, renewables, and AI-driven energy management.
• Best practices for green software design, workload balancing, and cloud infrastructure optimization.
• The role of global collaborations, policies, and circular economy models in driving sustainable IT.
• Emerging trends like neuromorphic chips, photonic computing, and Green AI and what they mean for the future of sustainable technology.

Whether you're a developer, systems architect, IT manager, or student, this book equips you with the knowledge and tools to design computing systems that are not only powerful and reliable but also environmentally responsible.