Cyberinfrastructure in a Carbon-Constrained World - sponsored by Juniper Networks & Qwest Communications

A significant contributor to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the information technology and communications industry itself. As campus researchers increasingly employ computational and cyberinfrastructure technologies, these tools are coming into question due to their growing contributions to GHG emissions. Consequently, some universities and R&E networks are exploring new CI architectures that will both benefit research and reduce associated GHG emissions. Optical high-speed research networks and distributed zero-carbon CI data centers with network virtualization, web services, and grids are critical to this emerging architecture. This session will review trends and spotlight projects that offer hope for averting a cybercarbon crisis.