Real-Time Emissions Accounting
Net-Zero Emissions
In a distributed edge environment, aggregated data alone may not provide sufficient insights. Visibility is the prerequisite for efficiency.
While many in our sectors rely on monthly utility invoices to estimate power use, Akamai has engineered a telemetry engine. This system bypasses third-party estimates and pulls power-draw statistics directly from our server hardware in five-minute intervals.
We recently upgraded this infrastructure to include metered power for our compute services. This is not just data collection; it is an operational MRI for our global network focused on energy consumption. It allows us to correlate specific workloads with specific energy spikes, enabling our teams to hunt down inefficiencies with surgical precision.
The Engine of Decarbonization: WattTime and REsurety
If there is something we know at Akamai, data without context is noise. To turn our power telemetry into a decarbonization strategy, we integrate two critical external intelligence streams. This combination allows us to practice carbon arbitrage — optimizing when and where we consume energy.
WattTime Brings Operational Transparency
- The Insight: WattTime provides real-time marginal emissions data, giving us visibility into the exact carbon cost of our energy consumption at any given moment.
- The Action: This intelligence moves us from estimation to precision. Instead of applying a flat annual carbon factor to our energy use, we can assess the environmental impact of our operations in real time. This provides the foundational data necessary to accurately report Scope 3 emissions to our customers, allowing them to see the true carbon intensity of their digital supply chain without compromising performance.
REsurety Brings Strategic Tracking
- The Insight: Not all renewable energy is equal. Through REsurety’s Locational Marginal Emissions (LME) data, we gain granular insight into the carbon intensity of specific grid nodes.
- The Action: This empowers the sustainability team to make data-driven decisions on where to build. Instead of buying renewables blindly, we target VPPAs in regions where the grid is most carbon-intensive. This ensures that every dollar we deploy displaces the maximum amount of dirtier generation.
Strategic Value: Why This Matters
We do not collect this data for the sake of reporting; we collect it to drive business outcomes.
- Operational Control: We have moved from passive consumption to active measurement, utilizing data to understand the precise carbon intensity of our operations.
- Procurement Precision: We use LME data to hunt for the highest Return on Carbon (ROC) in the global market, validating our emissionality strategy.
- Audit-Ready Transparency: As global mandates tighten, our ability to pair real-time consumption data with real-time emissions factors protects Akamai from regulatory risk and verifies our consequential impacts to our stakeholders.