The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
Workshop: Sustainable Supercomputing
Authors: Varsha Rao and Andrew A. Chien (University of Chicago)
Abstract: Climate change is a critical concern for HPC systems, but GHG protocol carbon-emission accounting methodologies are difficult for a single system, and effectively infeasible for a collections of systems. As a result, there is no HPC-wide carbon reporting, and even the largest HPC sites do not do it. We assess the carbon footprint of HPC, focusing on the Top 500 systems. The key challenge is modeling carbon footprint with limited data availability. With the disclosed Top500.org data, and using EasyC tool, we were able to model operational carbon of 391 HPC systems and embodied carbon of 283 systems. This coverage can be further enhanced by public information, then interpolation is used to produce the first carbon footprint estimates of the Top 500 HPC systems (1.4 million MT CO2e operational carbon and 1.9 million MT CO2e embodied carbon). We also project how the Top 500's carbon footprint will increase through 2030.
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