Systems and Network Infrastructure Integration

3Green IT

“It's the duty of mankind to be nature's guardian, not its owner.”

Philippe Saint-Marc

– Understanding the concept of Green IT and its challenges.

– Understanding the mechanisms and technical solutions for the implementation of a Green IT infrastructure.

– Describing and analyzing current mechanisms to reduce the energy consumption of IT products, particularly in data centers.

3.1. Introduction

When speaking of Green IT, it is vital to discuss the overall concept, that is, sustainable development.

This concept, introduced in the 1950s, took shape on June 16, 1972, in Stockholm, as part of the adoption of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, and then in 1987 as part of the Brundtland report published by the UN:

A development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of “needs”, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

(Brundtland report)

Sustainable development relies on three cornerstones: economy, social issues and ecology.

In 2012, the Agence Française de Normalisation (AFNOR), or French Standardization Organization, defined a state as “sustainable” “if the components of the ecosystem and ...