Energy intensity of internet data transmission
Estimation of how much energy is necessary to transmit data over the internet (KWh / Gb).
New criteria is given, plus new estimate for 2015 of 0.06 KWh / Gb. This results in 50% less cost since 2000, which is comparable to the energy and performance increase in computing.
- Bottom-up approach: sum of all electricity consumption / data transmitted through equipment (underestimation)
- Top-down approach: network electricity used / total data transmitted (overestimation)
New method is weighted average of previous estimations + regression on historical data for validation.
Subdivision is different groups of consumption: data centers; undersea cables; IP, access, home networks; and end-user devices.