The Internet is Getting Emptier; That's a Sustainability Problem
summary
Measured core links show 2.1% average link utilization (single-digit is common) while total traffic grows and energy stays roughly constant, so networks get emptier. A prototype protocol Hypnos can sleep links and turned off about one third of links on SWITCH, but savings are near zero because transceivers and some router components stay powered. Routers draw ~100 W, transceivers ~3–4 W each, new deployment adds ~300–400 W. A public dataset network power Zoom collects device power measurements.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Internet sustainability challenges
- 1:28Energy efficiency in ICT
- 3:15Internet as network of networks
- 5:46Why networks are emptier
- 8:15Inefficiency of underutilized hardware
- 10:20Saving energy by turning off hardware
- 12:25Testing sleep modes in networks
- 14:56Hardware power management limits
- 15:17Why empty internet is necessary
- 17:26Cost of infrastructure growth
- 19:11Measuring router power consumption
- 20:34Summary and call for sobriety
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