Most of today's data centers are powered by grid electricity generated from various sources, including coal, nuclear, and wind power. VMware customers who subscribe to VMware Skyline can use CAM to quantify their virtual machine density and, if feasible, recommend higher levels of density and virtualization to further reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The CAM will also allow customers to analyze their energy consumption in near real-time and understand how many carbon offset credits to purchase, or at what times of day workloads can be switched to more sustainable energy sources. With this information, customers can choose to consume energy from a more sustainable source or switch workloads to more sustainable energy sources during off-peak hours.
The product represents another step toward achieving VMware’s ambitious 2020 sustainability goals and its commitment to creating transformative technology to enable a better future for the planet. In 2015, the company unveiled the VMware 2020 initiative goals to reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency efforts, the procurement of renewable energy and carbon offsets, and bridging the digital divide for businesses and nonprofits [2] . Beyond these ambitious goals for its business offerings, VMware also aims to incorporate sustainability features into future product releases, including the CAM, to deliver solutions that help customers make a positive impact on the environment and society, and to provide customers and partners with data that empowers them to make choices based on cleaner technologies.
“Increasing reliance on technologies like mobile and cloud computing has led to significant energy generation in data centers. To mitigate their environmental impact, companies must assess how they contribute to climate change and implement products and services that automate and optimize this process, thereby reducing energy consumption,” said Ray O’Farrell, executive vice president and chief technology officer, VMware. “At VMware, we are committed to empowering our customers with the resources and tools they need to reduce their environmental impact across our vast ecosystem of partners and customers.”.
CAM's additional capabilities and functions will include near real-time dynamic calculation of computing loads based on CPU type, calculation of monitored system loads, and calculation of carbon footprint based on energy consumption according to data center location. It also aims to help customers develop best practices and establish standards for reducing data center energy consumption and promoting green computing.
The CAM will be available to VMware Skyline customers later this year through VMware Skyline Advisor, a proactive and supportive service developed internally at VMware.
1. Carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon components emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a person, group, etc. (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.)
2. VMware has already committed to powering 100% of its global operations with renewable energy by 2020. The company achieved carbon neutrality in 2018, two years ahead of its planned target.
