With the unprecedented demand for AI services putting pressure on data centers and infrastructure like never before, questions are unsurprisingly being asked about the environmental effects this is having.
As one of the world’s biggest cloud and data providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has had to quickly address these concerns and show its responsibilities lie with effective sustainability practices.
I got to speak to the company at its recent AWS re:Invent 2024 event in Las Vegas to try and find out more on what exactly this viewpoint looks like in practice.
Greener energy
“We are at the table, we are at the forefront of the conversations when it comes to how we’re meeting that demand,” Chris Walker, AWS Director of Sustainability, says when I ask him about how the company sees its green push.
“Given the scale that we do have…any seemingly small change (in process) is a massive change.”
He notes there are two main efforts for AWS, firstly an “evolution” to using more carbon-free energy solutions
“We’ve been the largest incorporater of renewable energy for the last four years running,” he notes,” and we’re really starting to think about what other tools we can add in terms of evolving our strategy.”
This includes nuclear and small modular reactors (SMRs), with AWS recently announcing three new agreements to build such platforms in the US to help with its energy demand.
There’s also a push on efficiency – both through design, in lowering mechanical energy usage by simplifying the design of components, but also through freer cooling design in less demanding climates, all the way down to the chip level, where Walker notes AWS’ new Trainium2 is delivering up to three times more efficiency than its predecessor.
“While it may seem new to the industry, the demand and the rate that we are seeing growing is not new to AWS,” he adds, “we’ve future-proofed our data center designs, how we scale both our physical buildings, but also our logical networks, the processes and how we continue to innovate on our designs and meet not only the energy demands, but the overall demand growth…we’ve done that over the last decade plus, and who knows what the future holds, but we are very confident in how we’re approaching it, and how we’ve been able to future-proof.”
Circular economy
The other major focus on sustainability for AWS, Walker notes, is around the circular economy.
Walker states he has been with AWS for 12 years, so has seen first-hand the evolution of its data centers, and with that the end of life for components used there.
“It’s exciting for us to focus on partnering with our hardware engineering teams and our design teams on implementing and designing better, which is the first component of our circular economy,” he notes.
“The more we can have conversations and bring feedback into that process, that’s where it’s going to make a difference, and that’s where we believe there is the biggest potential for influence and progress in that space.”
This includes making sure components operate for longer – AWS recently revealed more on its goals to reuse and recycle components from its data centers, including that over 99% of all AWS securely decommissioned racks were sent to its Amazon re:Cycle Reverse Logistics centers for this purpose.
Walker adds that servers are now able to run for six years, ahead of five, with many Amazon S3 servers now consolidating non-functional hard drives into single rack levels, allowing for an extended lifespan of up to two years more than previously expected.
Recovery is also another key focus, with 23.5 million components reused or resold on the secondary market since 2023 – with Walker also noting that focus this is also now influencing design of new hardware to ensure these are easy to reuse as well.
“We’re confident, and we remain committed to our zero carbon by 2040,” Walker notes, highlighting how the company met its goal of being 100% powered by renewable energy in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule, as well as making huge strides in its efforts to be water positive.
With environmental concerns emerging all across the globe, there’s clearly an opportunity for giants such as Amazon to take a leading role, not just in raising awareness, but setting an example.
“It’s about having candid conversations, being as transparent as we can,” Walker notes, “there’s the right level of healthy tension…(but) you have to be intentional when talking about (sustainability).”
“Given our size and our scale, we have a responsibility,” he adds, highlighting how the company has hosted government figures at all levels to show the importance of sustainability, and working together to these greater goals.
“At the end of the day, across the organization, we know we haven’t figured everything out, but we’re going to continue to innovate and evolve,” Walker concludes.
But with its seemingly endless resources and scope, if anyone can manage to take these major steps forward, it is AWS.
“When you think about net-zero carbon by 2040, it’s easy to think, it’s just energy, or it’s just water…but it takes a very intentional approach – it’s not just one silver bullet.”
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