The global leader of tech companies Microsoft is launching Artificial Intelligence to the task of categorizing through millions of servers to ascertain what be recycled and where. The latest initiative aims at the building of the so-called Circular Centres at Microsoft data centers globally, where AI algorithms will be utilized to categorize through parts from decommissioned servers or other hardware and find out which parts can be reused on the campus.
Microsoft claims that it has more than three million servers and associated hardware in its data centers and that one server’s standard lifespan is about five years. Also, Microsoft is expanding globally, so there should be a hike in the number of its servers.
Circular Centres quickly categorize through the inventory rather than tying up overworked staff. Microsoft plans to expand its use by 90 percent by 2020. They also claim that using machine learning, they will process servers and hardware that are being decommissioned onsite.
Today there is no stable data about the quantity, quality, and type of junk, where it is generated, and where it goes. Without more accurate data, it is almost impossible to comprehend the effect of operational decisions, what goals to set, and how to analyze the progress, also an industry standard to waste footprint methodology.
According to Microsoft, a Circular Centre in an Amsterdam data center decreased the downtime and increased the availability of the server and network parts for its own reuse and buy-back by suppliers. It also decreased the price of transporting and shipping servers and hardware to processing facilities, which decreased the carbon emissions.
The first Microsoft Circular Centres will be constructed at new, vital data-center campuses or regions. They also plan to add these centers to the campuses that already exist. Microsoft has an expressed goal of being “carbon negative” by 2030 and this just one of many projects. Microsoft recently announced that it had conducted a test at its system developer’s lab in Salt Lake City where a 250kW hydrogen fuel cell system powered a row of server racks for 48 hrs continuously, which is something that the company has never done before. According to Microsoft, it is the largest backup power system that runs on hydrogen.
