OVHcloud launches carbon calculator

OVHcloud has launched a new carbon calculator that will provide its infrastructure-as-a-service customers with monthly reports on their cloud-related emissions.

The new tool aims to provide a comprehensive calculation of a customer’s carbon consumption, taking into account factors including manufacturing down to the component level, the electrical consumption of servers, cooling and networking equipment, as well as freight, manufacturing and end of life and waste management.

The calculator is location-based, with reporting reflecting the mix of local power generation capabilities, and hopes to encourage more responsible IT usage across the industry.

The calculator is free to use for all customers of OVHcloud’s BareMetal product line and will be extended to the company’s Hosted Private Cloud offerings in the next few weeks.

The tool was co-developed by Sopra Steria and the methodology was audited by independent green consulting firm IJO.

OVHcloud CEO Michael Paulin said the new carbon calculator demonstrates OVHcloud’s commitment to a sustainable cloud.

“With sustainability rooted in our DNA, we constantly challenge ourselves to improve the carbon footprint of our overall operations,” he said.

“We are more aware than ever of the importance for our customers in calculating their carbon footprint as accurately as possible. We are therefore extremely happy to give them a precise reading and understanding of it, all with a single click of the mouse.”

Paulin said the calculator is consistent with OVHcloud’s commitment to sustainability, with the company having an approach that involves building its own designed servers.

The technology incorporated in its design allows an OVHcloud server to require just one glass of water to be cooled for a 10-hour period under full load, and the company has water and power usage effectiveness scores that are among the best in the industry, it says.

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