Estimating the carbon footprint of deep learning algorithms

IT students in Denmark have created a software program that can determine the energy consumption and the amount of CO2 generated by the development of deep learning algorithms. According to their estimates, hardware used to train a deep learning algorithm can use worrying amounts of energy from an environmental standpoint. Whether browsing movies suggested by Netflix based on your viewing history, asking your voice assistant a question or interacting with a chatbot on an e-commerce website, all of these everyday online processes rely on deep learning algorithms. However, developing algorithms contributes to digital pollution. And it's precisely this environmental impact that students from the IT department of the University of Copenhagen have sought to quantify, using their Carbontracker software program.