Network energy use not directly proportional to data volume
It is commonly assumed that data volume and network energy consumption are directly proportional, a notion perpetuated by numerous studies and media coverage. This paper challenges this assumption.
The Journal of Industrial Ecology just published a new article I co-authored with Dag Lundén and Jens Malmodin:
Abstract: It is commonly assumed that data volume and network energy consumption are directly proportional, a notion perpetuated by numerous studies and media coverage. This paper challenges this assumption, offering a comprehensive examination of network operations to explain why the relationship between energy consumption and data volume is nonlinear. The power model approach is explored as an alternative methodology for calculating network energy consumption providing a more reliable representation of network energy use. The power model demonstrates that simple energy intensity calculations, expressed as kilowatt hours per gigabyte of data, are insufficient for accurately estimating real-world network energy consumption.
You can read it open access.
We started work on this back in early 2022 so I'm pleased to see it finally published in a peer reviewed, open access journal.