Sustainability

The cloud, on half the energy

Edge runs on spare capacity that already exists and processes data close to the people using it. You get the same enterprise performance, and we build no new data centres to deliver it.

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Less energy used: ~50%
Edge locations: 988
New data centres built: 0
Renewable where available: 100%

The problem

Most of a hyperscale data centre is waiting for work

Hyperscale data centres consume enormous amounts of energy, and they often run at just 20–30% of capacity while drawing power around the clock.

Every request then travels hundreds or thousands of miles to reach one, using energy at every hop, and travels all the way back. Multiply that by billions of requests a day and the footprint is significant.

Hyperscale data hallPowered 24/7

Working Idle, still drawing power

Typical utilisation20–30%

The rest of the hallLit, cooled and waiting for work

Our approach

Two decisions do most of the work

Instead of building centralised facilities, Edge uses spare capacity across 988 edge locations and handles data where it's created and consumed.

Spare capacity

We fill machines that are already running

Rather than build new data centres, the network harnesses unused compute that already exists. There's no construction and no extra hardware to manufacture, just better use of what's there.

No new buildings
No new hardware
No empty racks drawing power for cooling

Existing machines Spare capacity in use

New data centres0

Hardware manufactured for usNone. We use what's already running.

Shorter journeys

Your data travels half as far

A traditional cloud routes every request to a distant, centralised facility. Edge processes data close to your users, cutting transmission distances by 50% or more, and with them the energy it takes to move your bits.

Requests served from a nearby node
Less energy spent in transit
Lower latency as a side effect

One request, two journeys

Distant data centre

Nearby Edge node

Shorter paths≥50%

Half the energy spent moving your data

Matt MellenFounder and editor, Ecohustler

Portrait of Matt Mellen, founder and editor of Ecohustler — Matt MellenFounder and editor, Ecohustler

Traditional cloud compared with Edge

Where the other half of the energy goes

A traditional round trip can span thousands of miles. Keeping data local cuts the energy spent in transit, and the rest of the saving comes from what we don't build.

Paths 50% shorter use 50% less energy for data transmission
Existing capacity means no energy spent building new facilities
A distributed network avoids the cooling overhead of massive data centres

100%~50%

Traditional cloudEdge Network

Energy per workload, with traditional hyperscale cloud as the baseline. Dashed cells show energy Edge doesn't use.

FAQ

Questions about our footprint

How does Edge use less energy?

Two ways. We run on spare capacity that already exists instead of building new facilities, and we process data close to users so it travels at least 50% less distance. Together that's roughly 50% less energy than a traditional hyperscale cloud.

Does Edge build its own data centres?

No. We've built no new data centres. The network uses compute capacity that already exists, spread across 988 edge locations.

Is the network powered by renewable energy?

Wherever renewable energy is available, we use it: 100% renewable where available.

Do I give up performance by choosing a greener cloud?

No. You get the same enterprise performance, served from 988 edge locations close to your users, for around half the environmental impact.

Move a workload to a cloud that builds nothing new

Create a free account, deploy a site, app or bucket, and it runs on spare capacity close to your users from the first request.