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The cloud saves tonnes of CO2 emissions

Written by Editorial staff | Jan 11, 2022 9:14:00 AM

When companies move their IT infrastructure and applications to cloud platforms, they also contribute to a greener world as more and more cloud data centers are powered by renewable energy. In addition, the cloud utilizes the hardware more efficiently.

Scalability, performance, flexibility and price are well-known arguments for moving applications and infrastructure to cloud platforms. Lately, “sustainability” is increasingly also an argument. Lower or no greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy consumption due to more efficient use of hardware are some of the reasons why the cloud is actually more sustainable than running IT infrastructure, services and applications on-premises.


NilsonGroup, which is behind DinSko, among others, saves 5 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year from moving its IT infrastructure to the cloud. In addition, the retail group has reduced electricity consumption related to IT operations by 86 percent.

These are important figures both for conscious customers and when the group is to report on sustainability to authorities, investors and employees.

IDC: Cloud computing saves 1.000.000.000 tonnes of CO2

According to the analysis company IDC, the transition to cloud services can contribute to an emission reduction of at least one billion tonnes of CO2 over the next four years globally. IDC has calculated the emission reduction by using its own figures related to the operation of on-prem data centers as well as cloud data centers, and compiled them with figures and analyzes from other companies.

"Cloud data centers help reduce CO2 emissions because the cloud utilizes hardware and software more efficiently. The emission reduction comes from smarter energy use, optimized cooling, optimization and better utilization of servers, storage and other hardware", writes IDC in the report Worldwide CO2 Emissions Savings from Cloud Computing.

Many servers stationed out at companies are also not used. Analyzes by Oracle show that:

30 percent of all on-prem servers in companies' own computer rooms are "zombie" servers that do not have workloads, but still use power.

Cegal – leading in sustainable IT

Cegal's goal is to become the world's leading technology company in sustainable IT solutions within five years. At the same time, Cegal will be an important contributor to the green transition to renewable energy.

We are able to create digital success stories related to the green transition due to our solid industry expertise and extensive experience in helping companies transition to cloud services.

Dagfinn Ringås, CEO Cegal

Oracle is one of the technology giants that has set the ambitious goal of making its cloud platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, as sustainable as possible. If companies are to reduce their CO2 footprint, the digital infrastructure must also be powered by renewable energy. This applies to all Oracle data centers in Europe.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is built for sustainability

Oracle has developed Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) with clear goals for sustainability. To create as clean and efficient data centers as possible, Oracle has developed the data centers with the following goals:

  • To provide efficient cloud services with the use of as much renewable energy as possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All Oracle data centers in Europe are powered by renewable energy.
  • To commit to reducing the environmental impact with very ambitious goals of reducing water use, waste and CO2 emissions.
  • To develop hardware that fits into the circular economy and thus reduces e-waste to landfills by 99%.

In addition to the fact that Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in Europe is powered by renewable energy, Oracle has also built in smart software in its database and storage solutions which means that you need fewer physical disks and thus save both energy and storage.

Cegal has many years of experience in moving customers' infrastructure to Oracle Cloud, which gives customers both a reduction in costs, energy consumption and CO2 footprint. Two of the companies Cegal has helped transition to OCI emphasize the effects on both costs and increased sustainability.

A review by NilsonGroup, which is behind the shoe franchises DinSko and Ecco Stores among others, showed a reduction in energy consumption of 86 percent to 736 kWt per month and a reduction of 5 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year after the transition to OCI.

A similar sustainability review at the Danish Employers' Association for the Financial Sector showed a reduction in energy consumption of 80 percent to 221 kWt per month and a reduction of CO2 emissions of 1.7 tonnes per year.

Read about our NilsonGroup case here > 

Read about Cegal's sustainability approach here >