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Main Author: Sharma, Prateek
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.11540
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author Sharma, Prateek
author_facet Sharma, Prateek
contents How do we explain the simultaneous growth in energy efficiency of cloud computing and its energy consumption? The Jevons paradox provides one perspective of this phenomenon. However, it is not clear or obvious \emph{why} the Jevons paradox exists, and \emph{when} is it applicable. To answer these questions, we seek inspiration from thermodynamics, and model the cloud as a thermodynamic system. We find that system growth, due to the revenue generation of cloud platforms, is a key driver behind energy consumption. This thermodynamic model provides energy consumption insights into modern hyperscale clouds, and we validate it using data from Meta and Google. Our investigation points to the necessity of future work in new and meaningful efficiency metrics, implications for future applications and edge clouds, and the need for studying system-wide energy and sustainability.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_11540
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Jevons Paradox In Cloud Computing: A Thermodynamics Perspective
Sharma, Prateek
Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
How do we explain the simultaneous growth in energy efficiency of cloud computing and its energy consumption? The Jevons paradox provides one perspective of this phenomenon. However, it is not clear or obvious \emph{why} the Jevons paradox exists, and \emph{when} is it applicable. To answer these questions, we seek inspiration from thermodynamics, and model the cloud as a thermodynamic system. We find that system growth, due to the revenue generation of cloud platforms, is a key driver behind energy consumption. This thermodynamic model provides energy consumption insights into modern hyperscale clouds, and we validate it using data from Meta and Google. Our investigation points to the necessity of future work in new and meaningful efficiency metrics, implications for future applications and edge clouds, and the need for studying system-wide energy and sustainability.
title The Jevons Paradox In Cloud Computing: A Thermodynamics Perspective
topic Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.11540