Carbon-aware computing is an approach to software design that takes into account the carbon intensity of the electricity grid when making decisions about when and where to run workloads.
What is Grid Carbon Intensity?
The carbon intensity of electricity varies significantly depending on the energy mix at any given time and location. When wind and solar generation is high, the grid is cleaner. When demand peaks and fossil fuel plants ramp up, intensity rises.
How Carbon-Aware Computing Works
By monitoring real-time grid carbon intensity data, software can make intelligent decisions:
- Time-shifting: Run batch jobs when the grid is cleanest
- Location-shifting: Route requests to regions with lower carbon intensity
- Demand-shaping: Adjust compute intensity based on grid conditions
The Business Case
Carbon-aware computing doesn’t just reduce emissions — it can also reduce costs. Clean energy periods often correlate with lower electricity prices, creating a double benefit.
Tailpipe provides the data foundation for carbon-aware decisions by tracking your actual cloud emissions in real time, making it possible to measure the impact of carbon-aware strategies.