The Current State of Understanding of the Energy Efficiency of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has been hailed as the achievement of the long-held dream of computing as a utility and has the potential to transform a large part of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. Cloud computing is both a business and an economic model which has been gaining popularity since 2006 and it is currently the most talked about technology in the ICT industry. Because it views hardware and software as commodities, the cloud is an example of a disruptive technology. It offers enterprises the opportunity to reduce hardware and software cost and the potential reduction of maintenance and support staff. Data centers and cloud computing services providers hope that the widespread adoption of the cloud will bring them more profit and they are actively promoting the technology. The cloud has had its share of controversy; ranging from the definition of cloud computing to its energy efficiency. This paper discusses one area of controversy; the energy efficiency of cloud computing. We outline previous contributions to the discussion of energy efficiency of cloud computing, provide a working definition of cloud computing and discuss its importance, which will grow as the technology matures and becomes well known.