Made in IBM Labs: Invention Lets Companies Choose Greener Cloud Options

A Way for Companies to Choose Cloud Services with a Lower Carbon Footprint

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Nov 08, 2013, 03:00 ET

ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) inventors have patented a technique that enables cloud computing data center operators to dynamically redistribute workloads to lower-powered or underutilized systems, thereby minimizing the environmental footprint and impact of cloud services.

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Business and government demand for cloud-based IT infrastructure services is growing rapidly. As a result, cloud data center power consumption is on the rise. Most commodity cloud providers follow one-size-fits-all approach to delivering services via power crunching servers -- without taking into account the sustainability strategies of individual customers.

IBM's patented cloud computing invention is similar to how energy utilities offer consumers ways to automatically access and pay for alternative energy sources such as wind or solar to reduce their impact on the environment. With this approach, a cloud will be tuned to automatically route service requests through network devices, systems and software that process the service while consuming the least amount of electricity.

The patented cloud computing technique is similar to how energy companies dynamically price and serve energy according to the type of energy a customer needs, how much is required, when it is needed, etc.

IBM received U.S. Patent #8,549,125: Environmentally sustainable computing in a distributed computer network for the invention.

"The efficient, distributed cloud computing model has made it possible for people to bank, shop, trade stocks and do many other things online, but the massive data centers that enable these apps can include many thousands of energy-consuming systems," said Keith Walker, IBM Master Inventor and co-inventor on the patent. "We have invented a way for cloud service providers to more efficiently manage their data centers and, as a result, significantly reduce their environmental impact."

IBM's cloud data center management invention will address the complexity of deploying optimal cloud environments, while making it easier and more affordable to offer new solutions and services to clients.

IBM invests more than $6 billion annually in R&D and consistently explores new approaches to cloud computing that will deliver a competitive advantage to the company and its clients.

For 20 consecutive years, IBM has topped the list of U.S. patent recipients. The company's invention and patent leadership is illustrated at http://ibm.co/11k6fRn.

More information about how IBM inventors are propelling cloud computing innovations is available at http://ibm.co/174A8tS.

CONTACT:
Chris Andrews
IBM Media Relations
914-499-4045
[email protected]

SOURCE IBM