New data center components and energy focus take center stage for AWS
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.
