lesson

Green software use on HPC

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An introduction to environmental sustainability principles in the context of high performance computing systems

Keywords: ARCHER2, HPC, carbon awareness, carbon efficiency, energy efficiency, green software, sustainable computing

Competency level: • Beginner

Target audience: Anyone involved in using or delivering HPC resources — users, software developers, HPC service operators, and those involved in procuring HPC systems. No knowledge of environmental sustainability principles assumed.

Resource type: Lesson

Status: beta

Prerequisites:

Familiarity with the key concepts in climate change and green software engineering (covered in the setup section)

Learning objectives:

  • Appreciate embodied emissions associated with HPC hardware
  • Be aware of frameworks for measuring and reporting carbon emissions in the context of HPC
  • Gain practical advice on measuring and improving the carbon efficiency of HPC use
  • Know how HPC systems can potentially reduce emissions
  • Understand carbon efficiency and how it relates to energy efficiency, including cases where they can conflict
  • Understand carbon intensity of electricity generation and implications for carbon-aware HPC use

Authors: Carpentries Incubator

Contributors: Green Software Foundation

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