Is Streaming To Blame For Cloud’s Sustainability Problem?

Cloud storage for video streaming has become a pressing issue, with the current model proving ineffective and costly for the environment. As demand surges, cloud providers are constructing more data centers, contributing to an estimated 14% of global emissions by 2040, equivalent to the entire carbon output of the United States. Considering the continuous growth of video streaming, we must explore greener and more efficient alternatives.

The challenges extend beyond streaming itself. Advancements in video capture and display resolution result in larger file sizes, necessitating more cloud storage. MovieLabs, a nonprofit venture backed by major Hollywood studios, envisions a future where video production and distribution are entirely cloud-based by 2030. The industry’s success hinges on collaboration among hardware, software and cloud vendors to design integrated systems that securely create, encrypt, validate and store assets in cloud object storage via advanced networks.

This storage migration requires a critical evaluation of the existing cloud storage infrastructure and the necessary changes to facilitate this advanced transition. Media creators and distributors must maintain productivity, video security and budgets in their pursuit of 100% cloud production. Moreover, Hollywood’s reputation would suffer from being associated with a significant increase in carbon emissions.

At its core, traditional cloud storage was not designed to transfer large files swiftly across the globe. Recognizing this, Netflix built its own distributed cloud network because major providers like AWS, Microsoft and Google couldn’t deliver the required performance and accessibility.

The issue can be distilled into a “pick two dilemma” involving cost, performance and security. Traditionally, customers were forced to choose two out of these three factors. For example, a cloud storage solution that was fast and secure was expensive, and an affordable solution had poor performance, poor security or both.

Ultimately, the video industry aims to leverage the growth potential of the cloud to streamline global production. However, alternatives such as distributed cloud storage must be considered to prevent a doubling of global carbon emissions every five years. Unlike centralized data centers, distributed cloud storage spreads data across existing hardware operated by third parties, utilizing existing unused capacity.

Contrary to initial perceptions, this approach enhances security through zero-trust principles, employing end-to-end encryption and erasure coding to fragment files into segments and distributes them across tens of thousands of storage node. Only a portion of segments are required to reconstitute the object. Not only is the architecture extremely secure, but it provides consistently high performance globally and high reliability without requiring replication of the data.

Because distributed cloud storage does not depend on building or maintaining data centers or manufacturing new hard drives, it is significantly less expensive and better for the environment. The savings can be passed on to customers. Distributed cloud storage customers often see 80%-90% savings on their cloud storage bills. In addition, by eliminating the need to manufacture new hard drives and reducing the need to replicate data for global performance and durability, distributed cloud storage reduces carbon emissions by up to 83%. It’s a way better option because what company wants to be associated with harming the environment?

It’s time for Hollywood to stop melting the planet and start fixing the cloud.

Rosie Pongracz is CMO of Storj.