13 July 2021
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2 min read
A Google data centre / Credit: Google
Update to region picker aims to make it easier for customers to switch to the lowest carbon regions for their Cloud computing services
Google has today announced an update to its region picker service, designed to make it easier for customers to choose Google Cloud Regions with the lowest CO2 output.
Writing in a blog post, Steren Giannini, product manager for Carbon-free for Google Cloud, said the new update would support Google's goal to operate its data centres and Cloud services using carbon-free energy (CFE) 24/7 in every region by 2030.
"Earlier this year, we published the carbon characteristics of our Google Cloud regions," he wrote. "Later, we introduced a simple tool to help you pick a Google Cloud region, taking variables like price, latency and sustainability into account. Our next question was: what's the best way to surface that sustainability info when you're actually picking a region for your cloud resources?"
As such, the tech giant has today started to highlight which regions have the lowest carbon impact at any given time inside its Cloud Console location selectors, starting with its Cloud Run and Datastream, platforms. A simple leaf icon will signal which regions have the lowest level of emissions.
Giannini said there was already the evidence the new approach was helping to cut emissions. "Before releasing this feature, we ran experiments to measure its impact," he explained. "Users who were exposed to the enhanced region picker were 19 per cent more likely to select a 'low carbon' region for their Cloud Run service - a significant lift. These results show that by displaying carbon information in context of when you make the decision of picking a region, we are helping you make more sustainable decisions."
Google has provided 'carbon neutral' Cloud services since 2007, having invested heavily in renewable power for its data centres and carbon offsets to address its remaining emissions. However, the firm is now working to better match renewable power supplies and data centre demand for electricity at any given time so as to deliver zero operational emissions at any given time.
