High-Powered Computing: Energy Consumption and Its Environmental Impact

The rapid development of High-Performance Computing (HPC) has driven technological advancements but also brought environmental challenges such as high energy consumption, carbon emissions, and electronic waste. This paper develops three core models to systematically analyze these issues and proposes sustainable solutions. Firstly, the paper analyzes the total energy consumption of global HPC centers, dividing it into computing-related energy and non-computing energy (e.g., cooling systems). In 2024, the estimated total energy consumption of the HPC industry was 205 terawatt-hours, which could reach 287 to 328 terawatt-hours under full load conditions. Secondly, by calculating the carbon emissions per kilowatt-hour of electricity, the paper estimates the global carbon emissions of the HPC industry in 2024 to be 7.24 million tons. The third model assesses the environmental impact of electronic waste generated by HPC systems, projecting that by 2030, HPC-related electronic waste will produce 112.8 million tons of carbon emissions, with disposal costs reaching 715 million USD and landfill costs of 6 million USD. Additionally, the study predicts the trends of energy consumption, carbon emissions, and electronic waste in the HPC industry by 2030. The research indicates that by adopting energy-saving technologies, accelerating the transition to renewable energy, and optimizing electronic waste management, the HPC industry can mitigate environmental hazards while leveraging its innovative potential and, based on this, proposes technical design recommendations such as energy-efficient hardware and software, reducing electronic waste, adopting cloud storage, and considering environmental impacts in technical design.