Toward Sustainable HPC: Carbon Footprint Estimation and Environmental Implications of HPC Systems

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the carbon footprint of HPC systems throughout their lifecycle, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices by quantifying environmental impacts during manufacturing and operation.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive framework for estimating HPC system carbon footprints, combining hardware component modeling, regional carbon intensity analysis, and lifecycle experimentation.

Findings

HPC systems have significant carbon footprints during manufacturing and operation

Regional carbon intensity varies and impacts overall HPC environmental impact

Lifecycle analysis highlights key areas for sustainability improvements

Abstract

The rapid growth in demand for HPC systems has led to a rise in carbon footprint, which requires urgent intervention. In this work, we present a comprehensive analysis of the carbon footprint of high-performance computing (HPC) systems, considering the carbon footprint during both the hardware manufacturing and system operational stages. Our work employs HPC hardware component carbon footprint modeling, regional carbon intensity analysis, and experimental characterization of the system life cycle to highlight the importance of quantifying the carbon footprint of HPC systems.