- New feature could almost miraculously reduce the energy consumption of data centers by 30%
- The suspension of interruption request dynamically modifies the power consumption of the processor and can be carried out via the operating system
- Hyperscalers are likely to be the big winners and it will be interesting to see how it has an impact on AI
Data centers would represent between 2 and 4% of total electricity consumption worldwide, something that hyperscalers seek to reduce as much as possible.
Potential solutions include the implementation of new generation architectures such as hyperconvergent (HCI) infrastructure and the use of advanced cooling techniques.
Professor Martin Karsten at the Cheriton School of Computer Science, within the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, has a cheaper and easier solution. He claims that the energy consumption of the data center could be reduced to 30%, simply by modifying a few lines of Linux code.
Small change, big impact
In collaboration with Joe Damato quickly, Professor Karsten has developed a small change in non -intrusive kernel of only 30 lines of code which uses the IRQ suspension (requirement for interruption) to reduce unnecessary processor interruptions and improve traffic treatment Linux network. This tweak has now been published as part of the most recent Linux kernel, version 6.13 version.
This code change, which improves Linux networking efficiency and increases the flow of up to 45% without increasing latency, is based on a research document called “”Nucleus vs networking at the user level: do not throw the battery with the interruptions“”That Professor Karsten is the author with the former student of Maître Peter Cai in 2023.
“We haven’t added anything,” said Professor Karsten about code change. “We just reorganized what is done when, which leads to a much better use of the CPUs of the CPU of the data center. It is a bit like reorganizing the pipeline during a plant manufacturing so that you do not have people who run all the time.
The teacher thinks that this little adjustment could have a huge impact. “All these large companies – Amazon, Google, Meta – use Linux to some extent, but they are very sharp on the way they decide to use it. If they choose to “make ignite” our method in their data centers, this could allow Gigawatthours of energy in the world. Almost every request for a service that occurs on the Internet could be affected positively by this. »»
Aoife Foley, main member of the IEEE and professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s Belfast University, welcomes potential savings, but observes that it will take much more than to change a few lines of code to raise the broader energy challenges.
“There is still a long way to go,” she says. “These installations represent enormous requests for electricity, adding pressure to electricity networks and increasing the challenge of energy transitions, especially in small countries. Although it is impossible to calculate with precision, the entire ICT sector represents approximately 1.4% of CO₂ emissions worldwide. Infrastructure and operations leaders have a responsibility here and must consider unnecessary waste associated with data storage and undertake to generate power from more renewable sources. »»
Yandex recently published an open source tool called Perforator, which adopts an approach similar to Professor Karsten’s research, helping businesses optimize their code, reduce the server charge and, down the energy and equipment costs .
Sergey SKVORTSOV, who heads the team behind Perforator, said to us: “The latter research confirms what we have believed for a long time: the optimization of the code is one of the most effective means of reducing the energy consumption of the energy consumption of the energy consumption Data center. Perforator helps companies identify and correct the ineffective code, reduce the use of the processor up to 20% and reduce infrastructure costs – without sacrificing performance. Data centers consuming up to 4% of global electricity, tools like perfurator can play a crucial role in the more sustainable meeting technological infrastructure. »»
