DePIN & YOM: Revolutionizing Sustainability in the Internet’s Energy-Intensive Infrastructure

The internet has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. From online shopping and social media to streaming services and video calls, we rely on the power of the internet more than ever. However, one must take account of the energy requirements for this new world we inhabit, and the consequences of the current underlying infrastructure. Behind the scenes, massive facilities called data centres house rows upon rows of computers that power our online activities. These data centres are essential for the internet to function, but they also consume a significant amount of energy.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres and related transmission networks used an estimated 240–340 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2022. This translates to a staggering 1–1.5% of global electricity consumption! Considering that a large portion of electricity generation still relies on fossil fuels, this translates to a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. While the exact figures vary, some suggest that data centres contribute around 2–4% of global carbon emissions. For perspective, the aviation industry, known for its large carbon footprint, generates an estimated 2.4% of global emissions. This contribution is significant, even compared to some individual nations, as illustrated below.

Figure 1. Estimated emissions from data centres (around 2–4% of global emissions) to the aviation industry and selected countries in 2022.

The Challenge of Sustainability in the Digital Age

Reliance on data centres is expected to surge in the coming years. Fueled by the rise of streaming services, cloud gaming, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, the demand for data storage and processing will only intensify. This surge presents a challenge as the world strives for net-zero emissions. Sustainable practices within the digital infrastructure sector are now critical. To align with the ambitious Net Zero goals, significant reductions in emissions are necessary. The scientific consensus aligns with this, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stating a reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 is required to keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This translates to roughly a 50% reduction from current emissions by 2030.

Table 1. Global trends in digital and energy indicators, 2015–2022 (Source: IEA)

A Potential Game Changer

Emerging as an alternative solution is the technology of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs). These systems offer a new approach to large-scale computing by leveraging the collective processing power of individual devices like personal computers, laptops, and workstations. Imagine a network where your computer (node), along with millions of others, can contribute processing power instead of relying on giant data centres. DePIN systems hold the potential to significantly reduce the environmental footprint associated with current, centralised approaches to data centre infrastructure. While this technology is still evolving, it offers a promising path towards a cleaner and more sustainable digital future.

Figure 2. DePIN (DePIN) system: This illustration depicts a DePIN (DePIN) network, where devices like laptops (shown as nodes) act as both clients and servers. They directly connect with each other, sharing resources and data without relying on a central server. Lines represent the flow of information between these nodes, highlighting the decentralised nature of the DePIN system.

Environmental Impacts of DePIN vs. Data Centres

While data centres offer unmatched scalability for massive computing tasks, their environmental impact is undeniable. DePIN (DePIN) sharing emerges as a cost-effective, greener alternative, leveraging the underutilised processing power of personal computers. This distributed approach not only reduces carbon footprint, energy and water consumption and e-waste but also utilises existing hardware more efficiently. Advancements in resource allocation and security hold the potential for DePIN to become a powerful and sustainable solution for a significant portion of processing needs. The following section compares the environmental impacts of DePIN systems and data centres.

Environmental impacts during construction

The environmental cost of data centre construction is often overshadowed by the focus on their operational energy use. However, the impact is significant, generating a hidden footprint even before a single server is powered on. Data centres require vast quantities of materials like concrete and steel, which have a high embodied carbon footprint — the carbon emissions associated with their entire life cycle. A study by Assefa et al. (2020) found these materials contribute around 82–87% of the total greenhouse gas emissions during construction. In simpler terms, a significant portion of a data centre’s environmental burden is locked in from the very beginning. Land conversion is another concern, along with water consumption during construction activities like mixing concrete. These impacts can be especially severe in drought-stricken regions. Habitat disruption and air and noise pollution are additional environmental consequences to consider.

Operational energy consumption

Data centres and their processes come at a significant energy cost. The following section provides a breakdown of how that energy is typically consumed:

• Cooling & Power Provision System (43%): Maintaining the cool environment needed for servers is a major energy drain. The average data centre cooling system consumes about 15–45% of the centre’s total power, with a range spanning from 21% for the most efficient systems to a staggering 61% for the least efficient (​​Ni, J., & Bai, X., 2017). This highlights the significant impact optimising cooling systems can have on a data centre’s overall energy footprint. While it’s important to protect equipment from overheating, excessive cooling often leads to data centres using more energy than necessary.
• Servers (43%): The servers themselves are significant energy consumers due to the constant processing they perform. Tens of millions of servers are currently in use in data centres worldwide. Power proportionality, which measures the efficiency of power usage relative to server activity, is a key metric. It typically ranges from zero to one, with one being the most efficient. However, servers often operate well below their maximum capacity.
• Storage Drives (11%): While less demanding than servers, data storage on hard drives and solid-state drives also contributes to the overall energy consumption. Data creation has grown exponentially, with current projections estimating 181 zettabytes by 2025. All that data needs to be stored, and the storage type significantly impacts a data centre’s electricity use. Most solid-state drives (SSDs) are far more energy-efficient than hard disk drives (HDDs). Depending on disk size, an HDD can use anywhere from 6 to 9 watts at maximum capacity. While lower than in previous years, SSD power requirements have remained mostly constant at around 6 watts per disk.
• Network (3%): The infrastructure that connects everything together uses a smaller but not insignificant amount of energy. Servers need to connect to each other and the internet for proper functioning. While calculating the exact amount of energy for internet access is difficult, networking hardware like routers, switches, and bridges have high power requirements. The number of ports on the device and its connection speed determine the power needed. Additionally, networking equipment generates heat, further straining the cooling system.

Figure 3. Breakdown of U.S. data centre energy use in 2014 (source: Energy Innovation)

Based on these consumption figures, DePIN (DePIN) GPU systems, particularly for applications like gaming or video streaming, could offer significant energy savings, potentially exceeding 40%. This advantage stems from DePIN systems leveraging a network of individual devices (nodes), eliminating the need for the extensive cooling infrastructure and energy consumption associated with traditional data centres (including the building itself).

Figure 4. Data centres combat IT heat with hot aisle containment. Servers breathe front-to-rear, so rows are arranged with exhaust facing each other, creating a “hot aisle.” Containment captures this hot air, keeping the rest of the data centre cool and efficient. Image source

Carbon Footprint

Like any other operations, data centre emissions are categorised into three scopes. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from on-site activities. This includes generators or backup power systems that burn fossil fuels. Scope 2 focuses on indirect emissions from purchased electricity. Since data centres rely heavily on energy, the source of that electricity significantly impacts their carbon footprint. Finally, Scope 3 encompasses all other indirect emissions across the entire value chain. This includes emissions from manufacturing data centre equipment, transporting it, and even employee commutes.

DePIN (DePIN) systems, on the other hand, have a much smaller environmental footprint. They leverage existing personal computers or other hardware, eliminating the need for dedicated data centres with their high energy demands and associated emissions. DePIN systems primarily rely on individual user’s cooling systems, which are typically air-based and have minimal impact on Scope 1 and 2 emissions. While there are still some embodied emissions (Scope 3) associated with manufacturing and using personal computers, the overall impact is significantly lower compared to data centres.

Figure 5. Scopes 1–3 Emission Sources of Data Centres (source: Uptime Institute)

Water footprint

While data centres are the backbone of our digital lives, their environmental impact extends far beyond energy consumption. A major concern is their water footprint. Unlike DePIN (DePIN) systems that rely on individual user’s air-cooled computers, data centres require massive amounts of water to cool their server banks. This water usage can be staggering — for instance, Meta reportedly consumed a staggering 2,510,686 cubic metres of water in 2022 for its data centres alone.

To put this in perspective, that amount of water could supply an estimated 8,368 average American households for a year. Alternatively, it would fill over 1,004 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This is particularly concerning because data centres are often located in water-stressed regions, where water scarcity is a major challenge. Essentially, the water used by data centres competes with vital resources for agriculture or other essential purposes in these areas.

Lifespan and E-waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing environmental concern for both DePIN (DePIN) systems and data centres. While DePIN systems typically use laptops with an average lifespan of four years, data centre server replacements range from annual to every six years, with most facilities refreshing every 2–3 years. This lifespan difference creates a complex picture for e-waste generation. Data centres house thousands of powerful, specialised equipment, and even less frequent replacements in these facilities can contribute significant e-waste volume.

Table 2. Survey of data centre professionals revealed a range of server replacement practices.

Data centres are filled with servers that are valuable assets, some worth tens of thousands of US dollars. Beyond servers, other components like cables, batteries, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), air conditioners (CRACs and CRAHs), power distribution units (PDUs), and transformers are also periodically decommissioned and disposed of when warranties expire and units fail to meet the high standards of reliability and redundancy set by regulatory entities. Notably, some of these components may contain toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and must be disposed of responsibly rather than reused.

Noise Pollution

Data centres also come with a hidden downside: noise pollution. Inside, server fans and cooling systems churn out a constant din that can reach up to 96 decibels — loud enough to damage hearing over time. This noise isn’t confined to the building; it can travel long distances, especially the low-frequency hum, disrupting sleep and lowering the quality of life for residents in surrounding neighbourhoods. The health risks of constant noise exposure are a concern, with potential for hearing loss and increased stress.

In contrast, DePIN systems eliminate harmful noise pollution. This results from two key factors:

• Distributed Processing: DePIN systems leverage the processing power and storage capacity of individual devices like computers. These devices operate at noise levels typical of everyday electronics, significantly lower than the constant hum of data centre machinery.
• No Centralised Infrastructure: DePIN systems eliminate the need for massive data centres with dedicated cooling systems and generators. This eliminates a single source of loud noise pollution impacting surrounding communities.

Future: DePIN GPU Gaming Power through YOM

The internet has transformed our lives, but its environmental impact is a growing concern. Here at YOM, we’re pioneering a solution: a sustainable distributed cloud network built on the power of idle gaming laptops. YOM’s Decentralised Pixel Streaming Infrastructure Network (DePIN) unlocks the potential of gamers’ idle machines, transforming them into eco-friendly powerhouses. DePIN directly delivers resources, making it more cost-effective and sustainable compared to centralised cloud solutions.

DePIN GPU systems are more efficient and less carbon intensive than data centres. To illustrate this YOM’s 4090RTX Mobile is compared with AWS EC2 G5.2x (NVIDIA A10 Tensor Core GPU) in terms of performance (FPS/W) and carbon emissions:

Table 3. Performance Comparison: AWS EC2 G5.2x vs. YOM’s 4090 RTX

*CO2 emission is calculated using power consumption in an hour of use (kWh) multiplied by the emission factor.

**Using the average emissions per kWh in the US in 2022 (0.86 pounds/kWh or 0.39 kg/kWh)

Figure 6. CO2 emissions: AWS C5 vs. 4090 RTX Mobile

Efficiency: YOM’s 4090RTX Mobile (1.42 FPS/Watts) is 1.71 times more efficient than AWS G5 (0.83 FPS/Watts). This means that YOM can deliver a higher number of frames per second (FPS) at the same power consumption (Watts).

Carbon Emissions

YOM’s 4090RTX Mobile is less emission intensive (0.103 lbs CO2/kWh) than AWS G5 (0.129 lbs CO2/kWh) during an hour of use. This reduction in CO2 emissions can have a significant impact in large-scale operations.

The above comparison of emission intensity focuses solely on their direct energy consumption. This metric doesn’t account for the renewable energy sources these companies may indirectly utilise through Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). While data centres can claim to use renewable energy through these methods, it’s important to remember that most data centres still rely heavily on the local electricity grid.

The true environmental impact hinges on the grid’s energy mix, which can vary significantly by location. Regions heavily reliant on fossil fuels like coal will have a higher carbon footprint for data centres operating there. Therefore, a data centre’s claim of using renewable energy sources doesn’t necessarily mean they’re powered directly by on-site renewables. These claims often reflect REC or PPA purchases that contribute to the overall demand for renewable energy but may not directly impact the data centre’s electricity source.

Incentives to Adopt Renewable Energy Sources

Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon demonstrate a growing commitment to powering their data centres with renewable energy sources like solar and wind. These tech giants are leading the charge, investing heavily in Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to match their energy consumption with clean power generation. However, it’s important to note that carbon offsets, a common strategy, allow companies to continue emitting carbon while funding projects that remove it elsewhere.

While offsets can be a valuable tool, achieving true carbon neutrality requires a focus on reducing emissions at the source. This is where YOM DePIN’s rewards program comes in. By incentivizing GPU providers who utilise renewable energy, it can potentially lead to wider adoption across the industry.

Streamlined Deployment and Development

Our end-to-end deployment and streaming pipelines significantly shorten go-live times and streamline development cycles by 80% to 99%. This allows developers to focus on creating amazing games, not infrastructure headaches.

YOM is at the forefront of building a sustainable digital future. By joining our network, you’re not just playing games, you’re contributing to a greener tomorrow. Visit our website at www.yom.ooo and our technical whitepaper at docs.yom.ooo for more information.

Industry Leaders in the DePIN Sector

The web3 industry has taken the challenge of managing the environmental impacts of this new technology very seriously, and several leaders in the space have taken notice of YOM and how we have worked to a solution.

Jamie Burke, the founder and CEO of the investment group Outlier Ventures had this to say. “As we move toward a more decentralized future, DePIN represents not only a technological leap but a pathway to sustainability. By leveraging distributed infrastructure, DePIN optimizes energy usage and reduces the need for massive centralized data centers, which have been environmental hotspots. While only one vertical in the DePIN space, YOM’s technology is proving that the future of gaming can be both cutting-edge and environmentally responsible, reshaping how we think about cloud gaming and the infrastructure that powers it.”

Martin El-Khouri, Head of Ecosystem at peaq, the Layer-1 Blockchain for DePIN, had this to add. “Making the world a more sustainable place is something most of us would like to see, but under conditions. The reason why we are not seeing significant progress is, among others, that the cost curve of sustainable alternatives is still above the traditional options, particularly for end users. DePIN has the unique potential to significantly lower this cost curve, as its key element is incentivizing idle ressources. When the cost curve of sustainable decisions is lower than for traditional options, economic incentives are where they need to be to affect decision-making. When sustainability makes you money instead of costing you, sustainable alternatives are not for idealists, but for rationalists.”

Eron Bloomgarden, founder and CEO of Emergent and environmental advisor to YOM, says it directly. “Addressing climate change requires urgent action and the adoption of innovative technologies to reduce emissions. DePIN solutions like YOM’s decentralized network help mitigate the environmental impact of energy-intensive data centers by tapping into idle computing power worldwide. This decentralized approach is crucial for reducing our carbon footprint while driving efficiency and sustainability.”

Conclusion

Traditional data centres, while powerful, leave a hefty environmental footprint. Their construction impact, constant energy needs, massive cooling systems, and reliance on water contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emissions, e-waste generation, and water scarcity.

YOM’s DePIN (DePIN) GPU system offers a game-changing solution. By utilising the processing power of individual devices, YOM’s system provides a more sustainable alternative. This distributed approach significantly reduces the environmental impact compared to data centres in several key areas:

• Impacts of Data Center Construction: YOM eliminates the environmental cost of building data centres with materials like steel and concrete, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (82–87% of total emission during the construction phase).
• Energy Consumption: YOM removes the need for dedicated data centre infrastructure, leading to potential energy savings exceeding 40%. Individual user cooling systems further contribute to this reduction.
• Carbon Footprint: YOM utilises existing personal computers, eliminating the emissions associated with data centres. These data centres, combined, produce more emissions annually than countries like Australia, Turkey, South Korea, and Canada. The shift to YOM helps remove emissions equivalent to these countries
• Water Footprint: Unlike data centres with their massive water requirements, YOM’s system relies on individual air-cooled computers, minimising water usage.
• E-waste: While both systems generate e-waste, DePIN benefits from the longer lifespan of personal computers compared to frequently replaced data centre servers.
• Noise Pollution: DePIN eliminates the constant hum of data centre machinery, creating a quieter environment.

While YOM DePIN won’t single-handedly solve the global challenge, it offers a significant step forward in cloud gaming and pixel streaming. Its potential impact on energy consumption, reduced reliance on harmful materials, and minimise water usage paint a promising picture for a greener digital future. YOM DePIN’s broader potential, integrated into a larger network, suggests exciting possibilities for sustainable advancements beyond cloud gaming.

Additional references:

Data centre global emissions:

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2210670722006266
• https://energydigital.com/technology-and-ai/how-data-centers-can-reduce-their-carbon-footprint#Data%20Centers%20Aim%20For%20Net-Zero%20by%202050

Net Zero Ambition

• https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition

Global emissions of countries and industries:

• https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/report_2023?vis=ghgtot#emissions_table
• https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-growth-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-commercial-aviation
• https://www.iea.org/energy-system/transport/aviation

Environmental impacts of data centres:

• https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-staggering-ecological-impacts-of-computation-and-the-cloud/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2210670722006266
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265296025_Assessing_the_environmental_impact_of_data_centres_part_1_Background_energy_use_and_metrics
• https://www.supermicro.com/white_paper/DataCenters_and_theEnvironmentFeb2021.pdf
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373295068_Impact_of_Data_Centers_on_Climate_Change_A_Review_of_Energy_Efficient_Strategies

Meta Sustainability Report 2023

https://sustainability.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Meta-2023-Sustainability-Report-1.pdf

Survey of data centres server replacement cycles

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109492/frequency-of-data-center-system-refresh-replacement-worldwide/

Assumptions

1. AWS vs. YOM Laptop: In this comparison, we used a high-end laptop with top-of-the-line specifications, including an RTX 4090 graphics card.
2. Energy Savings: Data centres consume about 43% of their total energy on cooling and power provisioning systems based on the study of Shehabi et al. (2016)
3. Table 3: Power consumption by AWS G5.2x is based on the A10 Tensor Core GPU; power consumption by RTX 4090 Mobile
4. Table 3: Estimation of carbon emission of AWS and YOM laptop — Emission factor used is average emissions per kWh in the US in 2022 (0.86 pounds/kWh or 0.39 kg/kWh)