Microsoft, GitHub, Accenture and Linux Foundation have joined forces to launch the "Green Software Foundation«, An organism that aims to establish standards and best practices for creating "green software", that is, code designed to waste less energy and produce fewer emissions.
In addition, promoting its creation through open source and supporting academic research in the area, as well as fostering a community of champions of green software.
And it is that as the world struggles to solve the urgent carbon crisis, more companies are committing to reduce the environmental impact of this. That's why Microsoft, GitHub, Accenture, ThoughtWorks, and the Linux Foundation have teamed up to launch the Green Software Foundation, a non-profit organization charged with putting sustainability at the heart of software engineering.
The announcement was made by the Green Software Foundation (GSF) a few days ago on the organization's website:
“The Green Software Foundation was born out of a mutual desire and need for collaboration within the software industry. Organizations that share a commitment to sustainability and are interested in the principles of green software development are encouraged to join the Foundation to contribute to the development of the field of green software engineering, contribute to industry standards, and work together to reduce carbon emissions. "
According to association officials, GSF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create a trusted ecosystem of people, standards, tools, and best practices for creating green software.
The companies claim that the Green Software Foundation was created out of a mutual desire and the need to collaborate across the software industry. The foundation aims help the software industry to contribute to the broader goals of the information and communication technology sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Earlier this year, precisely in February, IBM and a dozen other companies launched a similar initiative. In fact, IBM and a dozen other companies become founding members of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC). Together, their mission will be to accelerate the implementation, on a global scale, of solutions to face the threat of climate change.
And it is that data centers around the world represent 1% of global electricity demand and are expected to consume 3 to 8% in the next decade, which is why green software development is a top priority.
Finally, within the objectives of the Green Software Foundation, the following are mentioned:
- Set industry standards for green software: the foundation will create and publish green green software standards, models and practices in various computing disciplines and fields of technology. The group will encourage voluntary adoption and help guide government policy toward these standards for a consistent approach to measuring and reporting green software emissions.
- Accelerate innovation: To develop the green software industry, we must encourage the creation of trusted open source and open data projects that support the creation of green software applications. The foundation will work alongside its nonprofit partners and academia to support green software research.
- Raise awareness and develop promotion: If we want companies to create greener applications, they need people who know how to create them. As such, one of our main missions is to foster the widespread adoption of green software in the industry through ambassador programs, training and education leading to certification and events aimed at facilitating the growth of green software.
Organizations with a shared commitment to sustainability and an interest in green software development are encouraged to join the foundation to help grow the field of green software engineering, create industry-wide standards, and work together to reduce carbon emissions from software.
If you want to know more about it, you can check the details in the following link.