What should be the maximum limit of increasing data use is a big question now as between 2011 and 2015 the rise rocketed from 17GB to 82GB in an average in a British home in a month.
Computer scientists at Lancaster University said the hike is troubling as there’s a huge increase in energy use too with this.
The scientists have explained in details the issue in a research paper titled “Are there limits to growth in data traffic?” They argues increase in data use reciprocate to a huge increase in energy use which comes from a massive carbon footprint.
The current data reveals five percent of global electricity is used and the trend is growing at about seven percent a year. It is predicted by 2030 about 20 percent of total energy would be used for the purpose.
Scientists say a significant chunk of data usage growth comes from machines and not humans, and this is something disturbing.
These days more and more machines are connected to internet like the smart thermostats, household gadgets, industrial equipment and more. It is obvious these machines don’t sleep like humans and are proliferating very rapidly too.
A data reveals 6.4 billion devices are connected to internet today and the figure may reach 21 billion by 2020.
Co-author of the paper, Mike Hazas said, nature of internet has been changed rapidly over time.
He added, “Communication with these devices occurs without observation, interaction and potentially without limit.”
