The Hidden Carbon Footprint of Serverless Computing

Rohan Basu Roy, Raghavendra Kanakagiri, Yankai Jiang, Devesh Tiwari

Abstract: Due to the unique aspects of serverless computing like keep-alive and co-location of functions, it is challenging to account for its carbon footprint. This is the first work to introduce the need for systematic methodologies for carbon accounting in the serverless environment, propose new methodologies and in-depth analysis, and highlight how the carbon footprint estimation can vary based on the chosen methodology. It discusses how serverless-specific scheduling choices can impact the tradeoffs between performance and carbon footprint, with an aim toward standardizing methodological choices and identifying opportunities for future improvements.