Huawei Services for the Green Transition

During the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the world was again collectively concentrating on climate change and expecting the combined leadership and experts to find ways to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This target was agreed in the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement by 196 countries. To stay below the 1.5°C, global Green-House Gas (GHG) emissions should be reduced by roughly 50% by 2030 (and net global GHG emissions eliminated by 2050). Each country is expected to develop climate action plans (Nationally Determined Contributions) to reduce GHG emissions.

A recent World Bank report shows that digital technology can help reduce emissions, and many countries have therefore made it part of their plans. To maximize the environmental benefits from these digital technologies, governments and companies should leverage the existing expertise and services of suppliers and service providers. Below we will outline how Huawei’s technology, expertise, and services can contribute to a greener, digital future.

How can digital technology provide a greener future?

The potential is only limited by our imagination. There are obvious examples such as video conferencing instead of long-distance travel or remote working to avoid the daily commute. However, there are also more sophisticated examples such as in agriculture. By using a combination of digital technologies, including sensors, IoT, big data analysis, and AI, crop yield can be optimized by 30%. A higher yield per square meter requires less land, water, and fertilizer, and fewer crops will have to be disposed of due to disease. This all contributes to lower emissions.

The GHG emissions from IT itself can obviously not be ignored. IT is responsible for approximately 3.5% of global GHG emissions, which is similar to emissions from the aviation sector. But whereas the aviation sector has limited options to reduce its GHG emissions, IT can achieve significant results. Data centers are responsible for around 2% of global electricity usage. But while over the past 10 years the compute and storage capacity of data centers has increased exponentially, electricity usage has barely increased at all. According to a Statista report, energy demand from data centers worldwide has gone from 190.7 TWh in 2015 to 190.8 TWh in 2021. One of the major factors contributing to this accomplishment is the shift from traditional, low-efficiency on-premise data centers to highly efficient cloud-based, hyper-scale data centers. Very often these data centers are (partially) powered by sustainable energy from solar and wind, further reducing their GHG emissions.

Green services

The desire to reduce the energy consumption and GHG emissions is also apparent when it comes to IT services. Until several years ago, the main objectives when designing data networks were cost, performance, and availability. Other requirements were subsequently added, including cybersecurity, agility, and manageability. Today, power consumption is an additional objective, as governments and enterprises aim to reduce their electricity bills and help reduce GHG emissions. Building and operating a low-power IT infrastructure requires new capabilities and expertise, best practices, and solutions. Service providers need to make low-power consumption an intrinsic part of their services to meet customer expectations.

Huawei includes energy efficiency in the design, implementation and operation of IT environments and provides various services that can help customers achieve low-power IT infrastructure:

Data center services

Building a low-power data center obviously starts with the choice of location, which can have a big impact on the energy required for cooling. A cooler climate or the proximity of cooling water can make a big difference. The design and layout of the equipment room, the type of cooling (air or water), and the selection and positioning of cooling equipment can contribute to reducing Power Usage Efficiency (PUE). Using equipment with a higher density, virtualization, and switching off idle equipment can help reduce power consumption. After the initial design of a data center is completed, there will be constant changes taking place, necessitating the continuous adjustment of airflow and cooling installation.

The use of Data-Center Infrastructure Management Software (DCIM) and Data Center Facility Services can assist with this.

The enterprise network

Multiple opportunities exist to reduce the power consumption of enterprise networks. In some scenarios, it is possible to consolidate a traditional 3-layer network into a 2-layer network by eliminating the distribution layer. This will reduce the amount of network equipment and therefore power consumption. Using equipment with higher port-density also reduces the number of devices in the network. And Huawei equipment provides features that can help reduce power consumption. For example, ports can automatically go into hibernation while they are not used, waking up when necessary.

The implementation of these features requires careful planning to avoid delays, and the Huawei Network Design and Integration Service provides all the knowledge and experience required to build a power-efficient network that meets all customer expectations.

 Related: The Role of Enterprises in Europe’s Green & Digital Transition

Once the network is in full operation there are possibilities to reduce power consumption. For instance, on an office campus, certain wireless access points (AP) will not be used outside office hours, so there is no need to have these AP’s fully operational during those hours. Huawei’s campus network management platform iMaster NCE uses AI to monitor which AP’s are not utilized during which time, and will suggest a schedule for when to put certain AP’s in low-power mode. Through the accurate use of iMaster NCE it is possible to reduce the power consumption of a data network by 30%.

The Huawei SmartNOS optimization service will assist customers with the ongoing improvement of their networks, including the reduction of the power consumption as well as other improvements.  

Conclusion

The global reduction of GHG emissions is an absolute necessity to avoid ecological catastrophe. Nations, enterprises, and individuals all need to act with urgency to adjust their behavior. Reducing CO₂ emissions by switching from fossil fuels to sustainable low-emission energy sources, limiting meat consumption to cut methane emissions, and decreasing nitrous oxide emissions through precision agriculture are all key ways that can make a meaningful difference. Digital technology has huge potential for helping solve many of the challenges, and many countries and enterprises are leveraging its potential to reduce GHG emissions. Digital technology companies, such as cloud providers, also have an obligation to eliminate their emissions by using sustainable energy to power their equipment and data centers.

Enterprises wanting to deploy digital technology to reduce their environmental footprint should leverage the expertise from service providers that can help them design, implement, and operate low-energy digital infrastructures. Huawei offers both technology and services to actively help companies and nations reduce their GHG emissions.

Disclaimer: Any views and/or opinions expressed in this post by individual authors or contributors are their personal views and/or opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of Huawei Technologies.