Happy New Year’s Eve, y’all.

Ahead of any boisterous festivities in which our readers may be partaking this evening, we hope everyone rings in the new year safely and responsibly, first and foremost.

Before the year’s-end ball drops, however, let’s dig into an important topic — AI and the carbon footprint of modern computing.

Yuan Yao, Associate Professor of Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Systems at the Yale School of the Environment, is part of a multi-institutional National Science Foundation (NSF)-led research initiative aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of computing by 45% within the next decade. This past October, she spoke about both the environmental opportunities and harms associated with the proliferation of modern AI, and I wanted to start this story with some quotes from her.

“AI is powered by massive amounts of energy,” Yao explained. “Much of the energy is from the burning of fossil fuels, which is the biggest contributor to global warming. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that electricity consumption by AI and data centers could reach 4% of annual global energy usage — roughly equal to the total amount of electricity used by the entire country of Japan.”

It’s true. Powering computing systems for AI requires a ton of energy. When not exercised responsibly, this can lead to the emitting of pollutants (especially in regions where fossil fuels dominate), leading to environmental impacts like the generation of excess greenhouse gas emission, contributing to climate change. In this vein, harnessing renewable resources and implementing more efficient practices can preserve energy infrastructure and curb ecosystem disruption and environmental degradation.

“And though AI can enhance environmental monitoring and management, taking on tasks that would normally be quite time-consuming using traditional methods,” Yao went on, “we still need transparent, robust methods to assess AI’s environmental impacts. Without accurate quantification, it is impossible to mitigate and address these challenges effectively.”

So while (NSF)-funded teams like Yao’s focus on developing life cycle assessment (LCA) methods tailored for computing systems, what are businesses doing today? What can they do?

Well, here’s but one example that involves Lumen Technologies and Prometheus Hyperscale.

Lumen Technologies’ is a global communications services provider that, quote, “ignites business growth by connecting people, data and apps quickly, securely and effortlessly.” Its networking, edge cloud, collaboration and cybersecurity solutions have led to it becoming a trusted network for AI, as well. (We’ll return to that in just a moment.)

Then, Prometheus Hyperscale. On a mission to revolutionize data center infrastructure by developing sustainable, energy-efficient hyperscale data centers, the company leverages cutting-edge tech and strategically forged partnerships to build said data centers (i.e. next-gen, liquid-cooled ones, at that), powered by truly cleaner energy.

It’s safe to say that there are common themes being shared here. Now, here’s specifically how all this ties together:

Earlier this month, Lumen Technologies was chosen by Prometheus Hyperscale to upgrade its data centers as AI data center demands and sustainability-related urgencies both continue to rise.

Here’s an excerpt from the official announcement:

“Prometheus Hyperscale is deploying a Lumen Private Connectivity Fabric solution, including new network routes built with Lumen’s next-generation wavelength services and Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) services with Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection on top. This expanded network will enable high-density compute in Prometheus facilities to deliver scalable and efficient data center solutions while maintaining their commitment to renewable energy and carbon neutrality.”

Per Ashley Haynes-Gaspar, EVP and CRO, Lumen Technologies:

“What Prometheus Hyperscale is doing in the data center industry is unique and innovative, and we want to innovate alongside them. We're proud to partner with Prometheus Hyperscale in supporting the next generation of sustainable AI infrastructure. Our Private Connectivity Fabric solution was designed with scalability and security to drive AI innovation while aligning with Prometheus' ambitious sustainability goals."

And per Trevor Neilson, President, Prometheus Hyperscale:

“AI is reshaping industries, but it must be done responsibly. By joining forces with Lumen, we're able to offer our customers best-in-class connectivity to AI workloads while staying true to our mission of building the most sustainable data centers on the planet. Lumen's network expertise really is the perfect complement to our vision.”

Overall (and while no single solution is “perfect”), facilities that integrate renewable energy sources and sustainable cooling systems allow for minimal environmental impacts while also delivering the computational power that enterprises are beginning to demand. (AI-driven ones, especially.)

Learn more here.

(And again, we hope everyone has a lovely and safe New Year’s Eve and Day. Take good care.)