The Jevons Paradox In Cloud Computing: A Thermodynamics Perspective

TL;DR

This paper models cloud computing as a thermodynamic system to explain the paradox of simultaneous growth in energy efficiency and energy consumption, highlighting system growth as a key driver validated by real data.

Contribution

It introduces a thermodynamic model of cloud systems to explain energy consumption trends and validates it with data from Meta and Google.

Findings

System growth driven by revenue increases energy use.

Thermodynamic model aligns with real-world data.

Highlights need for new efficiency metrics.

Abstract

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.