Microsoft is using automation to reduce electronic waste (e-waste) — by disassembling hard drives onsite at data centers.
“We believe that we can improve our current waste reduction efforts and take an innovative approach inspired by the concept of circularity,” said Microsoft chief environmental officer Lucas Juppa in an explainer video.
“By using techniques such as intelligent scheduling powered by machine learning to quickly and efficiently sort through whole devices and their parts, we are increasing the circularity of those assets while also reducing carbon emissions.”
Microsoft has a goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2050. That’s a substantial commitment, given that the company operates more than 300 data centers worldwide and 280,000 kilometers of network infrastructure.
The introduction of “Microsoft Circular Centers,” has made that goal slightly more realistic: A pilot program in Amsterdam predicted an expected increase in server and component reuse to 90% by 2025. That study also indicated additional benefits, including reduced downtime.
Here’s how Microsoft’s Circular Centers use robots to deconstruct hard drives.
The process, as you might expect, leans on artificial intelligence. Specialized machines scan hard drives to locate screws, which allows the robot to identify the brand and model of hard drive.
From that point, the screws are unscrewed and the platters (which store data) are separated from the chassis. The platters of each drive are shredded, while materials like neodymium are preserved.
At data centers, security is paramount — but electronic waste is an additional concern.
In case you’re wondering, Microsoft isn’t taking any risks with customer data: Data center devices are encrypted, and the process of “circulating” the used hard drives fits the NIST’s defined standards for secure media sanitization.
For data centers, e-waste carries substantial costs. Most have a depreciation cycle of 3-5 years — the average predicted lifespan of a hard disk drive (HDD) — and each year, an estimated 20-70 million HDDs reach the end of that cycle.
“If it was just one hard disk, it wouldn’t be an opportunity,” explained Ranganathan Srikanth, principal data scientist at Microsoft. “However, in 2022 alone, there were two million hard disks shredded and that would fill the cargo of up to nine 747s.”
Secure Resources for At-Scale Media Sanitization
While Microsoft’s approach is an excellent solution for data centers, atarecovery.com recommends working with an experienced partner when carrying media sanitization projects at scale. Our experts can maintain chain of custody reports while following NIST SP 800-88 requirements, reducing the cost of a media migration or sanitization project — and ensuring worry-free compliance with relevant standards and security/privacy laws.
To learn more, submit a case online or call 1-800-237-4200 to speak with an expert.
