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Greenpeace Gives Apple, Amazon Low Marks for ‘Dirty’ Clouds

PCMag: Greenpeace has issued a new report which accuses several of the world’s largest technology companies of running “dirty” cloud computing environments, while lauding others. Specifically, the organization faults the environmental practices of Apple, Microsoft, Twitter and Amazon, but praises Google and Yahoo for “prioritizing access to renewable energy in their cloud expansion, and [becoming] […]

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DS

Datamation Staff

Apr 18, 2012

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PCMag: Greenpeace has issued a new report which accuses several of the world’s largest technology companies of running “dirty” cloud computing environments, while lauding others. Specifically, the organization faults the environmental practices of Apple, Microsoft, Twitter and Amazon, but praises Google and Yahoo for “prioritizing access to renewable energy in their cloud expansion, and [becoming] more active in supporting policies to drive greater renewable energy investment.”

Amazon and Apple took issue with the report’s findings. Amazon said that cloud computing is inherently more environmentally friendly than traditional data centers and said Greenpeace’s “data and assumptions about Amazon are inaccurate.” Apple said, “Our data center in North Carolina will draw about 20 megawatts at full capacity, and we are on track to supply more than 60 percent of that power on-site from renewable sources including a solar farm and fuel cell installation which will each be the largest of their kind in the country.” It added, “We believe this industry-leading project will make Maiden the greenest data center ever built, and it will be joined next year by our new facility in Oregon running on 100 percent renewable energy.”