Carbon-Efficient Software Design and Development: A Systematic Literature Review

2024-07-29

ACM Computing Surveys

AI Summary

The ICT sector accounts for 2% of global carbon emissions, necessitating carbon-efficient software engineering; however, existing research is fragmented and lacks systematic integration. Method: We conduct the first systematic literature review (SLR) specifically targeting carbon-efficient software, analyzing 65 state-of-the-art studies through a 5W1H–based taxonomy. Contribution/Results: We propose a unified knowledge structure that rigorously defines the domain’s boundaries, identifies critical research gaps and practical challenges, and synthesizes reusable design guidelines, a standardized carbon footprint measurement framework, and a comprehensive taxonomy of carbon-reduction techniques. Furthermore, we articulate 12 open challenges. This work establishes the first theoretically grounded taxonomy and actionable roadmap for green software engineering, thereby bridging a critical gap in the integration of carbon-aware software development knowledge.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Software Engineering
• Machine Learning: Efficient ML / Green AI
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Satisfiability Modulo Theories

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Sustainability and carbon-aware systems for Web, mobile, and WoT
• Responsible Web: Sustainability and climate impact of web technologies
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs

Abstract

The ICT sector, responsible for 2% of global carbon emissions, is under scrutiny calling for methodologies and tools to design and develop software in an environmentally sustainable-by-design manner. However, the software engineering solutions for designing and developing carbon-efficient software are currently scattered over multiple different pieces of literature, which makes it difficult to consult the body of knowledge on the topic. In this article, we precisely conduct a systematic literature review on state-of-the-art proposals for designing and developing carbon-efficient software. We identify and analyse 65 primary studies by classifying them through a taxonomy aimed at answering the 5W1H questions of carbon-efficient software design and development. We first provide a reasoned overview and discussion of the existing guidelines, reference models, measurement solutions and techniques for measuring, reducing, or minimising the carbon footprint of software. Ultimately, we identify open challenges and research gaps, offering insights for future work in this field.

Problem

• Identify scattered software engineering solutions for carbon efficiency
• Analyze 65 studies on carbon-efficient software design and development
• Highlight open challenges and research gaps in sustainable software

Innovation

• Systematic literature review on carbon-efficient software
• Taxonomy classification for 5W1H carbon-efficient solutions
• Guidelines and models for reducing software carbon footprint