Comcast has reduced the electricity it takes to deliver each byte of data across its network by 36% since 2019, the company announced today.
Comcast credited the efficiency gains to a reduction in total energy use across network facilities and operations. This occurred at the same time that the company delivered more data, faster broadband speeds and greater reliability.
Comcast decreased the electricity per consumed byte from 21.2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per terabyte (TB) in 2019 to 13.6 kWh/TB in 2022, thanks to technology upgrades. Investments in innovation, software, artificial intelligence, and other virtual and physical critical infrastructure require less hardware, space and energy per byte than previous technologies, the company said.
Last year Comcast announced plans to double network energy efficiency by 2030, cutting the electricity per consumed byte of data in half. The company estimates this will avoid the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power half a million homes for a year.
Comcast has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2035 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, or the direct and indirect emissions it owns and controls, across its global operations. Much of the effort is based on purchased electricity accounting for the majority of its emissions. The communications conglomerate is investing in clean, renewable energy to power its network and operations, as well as shifting to newer, more energy-efficient technologies and facilities to deliver more data with less energy per byte.
“We’re energized by the progress we’ve made on the path to a greener, cleaner Internet,” Charlie Herrin, Comcast Cable president of the company’s technology, product and experience organization, said in a prepared statement. “These efficiency gains are a critical part of our plan to grow the Xfinity 10G Network more sustainably.”
Herrin added: “The network has an essential role to play for the planet. We’re committed to innovating in ways that serve our customers and society. Driving energy efficiency across the business and sourcing more clean and renewable electricity are paramount to achieving our climate goals.”
