Keynote: Building IT Green: A Journey of Platforms, Data, and Developer Empowerment at Deutsche Bahn

Summary

The speaker shares a personal story of struggling with illness while highlighting the urgent issue of climate change. They emphasize the importance of individual and collective action, drawing parallels with the power of a surfing wave. The narrative then shifts to the role of technology and digitalization in addressing climate challenges, particularly focusing on sustainable mobility and the green digitalization initiative. The speaker advocates for the empowerment of developers to make significant changes through efficient use of resources and the implementation of energy-saving strategies in cloud operations, exemplified by the use of Kubernetes and other tools. The message concludes with a call to action for immediate and informed engagement in environmental conservation efforts.

Takeaways

• 🌊 The speaker uses the metaphor of creating a 'big wave' to illustrate the collective power and energy needed to address climate change.
• 😷 The speaker shares a personal struggle with flu, using it as a narrative to emphasize the importance of overcoming challenges, like tackling climate change.
• 🏖️ A connection to nature through surfing is highlighted as a pivotal moment for the speaker's environmental awareness, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices.
• 🌱 The urgency of climate change is discussed, noting that environmental issues have been recognized since the '90s, but insufficient political action has been taken.
• 🚄 Sustainable mobility, particularly through train travel, is presented as a crucial solution for achieving climate targets, over relying on infrastructure expansion.
• 💡 The impact of digitalization on energy consumption is acknowledged, with a prediction that it will require the electrical consumption equivalent of Sweden or Germany.
• 🌿 The concept of 'green digitalization' is introduced, aiming to address the energy demands of digital technologies through initiatives supported by CEOs and grassroots movements.
• 🔧 Developers are identified as key agents of change, with the power to influence software and infrastructure efficiency through their everyday decisions.
• 🤖 Kubernetes is praised as a tool for efficient cloud operations and carbon reduction, with its potential to increase resource utilization and reduce waste.
• 📈 The importance of data visibility and real-time information is emphasized for understanding the energy impact of code changes and workloads.
• 🚀 The call to action is for immediate, small-scale beginnings to harness the intrinsic motivation of developers and communities to care for the planet and reduce carbon footprints.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker is struggling with at the beginning of the transcript?

The speaker is struggling with the flu and its effects, which include fever and hallucination dreams, making them question their ability to stand on stage and give a 15-minute talk.

What does the speaker compare to the experience of surfing?

The speaker compares the adrenaline and energy rush of catching a wave while surfing to the energy and focus they want from the audience during their talk.

What is the urgency the speaker refers to in relation to climate change?

The urgency the speaker refers to is the need for immediate action on climate change, as environmental issues were already being discussed in the '90s, and despite some political efforts like the Kyoto Protocol, they were insufficient to address the issue.

What is the speaker's connection to the company they mention?

The speaker is connected to the company through their role in promoting sustainable mobility, specifically through train travel, which they believe is an important aspect of achieving climate targets.

How does the speaker describe the impact of digitalization on energy consumption?

The speaker describes the impact of digitalization as having an exponential growth in energy consumption, with estimates suggesting a need for the electricity consumption equivalent to that of Sweden or Germany within the next three years.

What is the green digitalization initiative mentioned by the speaker?

The green digitalization initiative is a movement started in 2022 aimed at addressing the energy demands and environmental impact of digitalization. It is supported by CEOs and CIOs and has resulted in grassroots efforts from developers within the company.

What is the speaker's view on the concept of carbon compensation?

The speaker believes that while carbon compensation is an important measure, it cannot be the sole solution due to the exponential growth of energy demands. They argue that there are physical limits to growth and that strategies for sufficiency and efficiency are needed.

How does the speaker describe the role of developers in addressing climate change?

The speaker views developers as everyday decision-makers when it comes to software and believes that engaging them and providing the right tools is crucial for making changes in how code is developed and infrastructure is managed.

What is the significance of Kubernetes for the speaker and their company?

Kubernetes is seen as a tool for efficient cloud operations and carbon reduction. The speaker believes it is not just a container orchestration tool but also a platform-building tool that can help achieve high density of containers and improve resource utilization.

What solution does the speaker propose for better resource utilization in cloud environments?

The speaker proposes the use of vertical pod autoscaling to optimize container workloads according to their needs, which can help reduce wasted resources and improve overall efficiency.

How does the speaker suggest measuring the energy impact of workloads?

The speaker suggests using tools like Kepler to gather energy metrics and provide real-time data on the energy usage of individual components. This data can then be visualized in dashboards, allowing for better understanding and management of energy consumption.

What is the speaker's final advice to the audience?

The speaker advises the audience to start taking action now, as the issue of climate change is urgent. They encourage starting small and focusing on empowering developers and leveraging platforms to make a positive impact on the environment.