•  
  •  
 

Fast could be green? The carbon emission effect of large computing clusters in China

Wang Chen

Document Type

Research-Article

Author

Yang Haodong, Wang Chen, Gaofeng Wang

Journal Name

Environment, Development and Sustainability

Keywords

Carbon emission, Environmental effect, Large-scale research infrastructure, National supercomputing center

Abstract

Given the growing demand for computational power, fostering the transition to green digital infrastructure becomes particularly paramount. This study focuses on the National Supercomputing Center (NSC) in China, using inter-city data and employing the spatial difference-in-differences (SDID), synthetic control methods (SCM), as well as the synthetic DID, to examine the impact of NSC on carbon emissions. Results show that the NSC significantly contributes to increased carbon emissions, primarily due to heightened regional electricity consumption and energy use (scale effect). Although NSC can mitigate these adverse effects by promoting green innovations, enhancing digitization (technology effect), and improving energy structure (composition effect), the impacts remain relatively limited. Heterogeneity tests reveal inter-city differences in NSC’s carbon emission effects and its positive role in reducing other pollutants, with urban digitization shown to help mitigate these emissions. The findings underscore the need for policies that optimize NSC energy structure, support green innovation, and promote industrial upgrades. Future efforts should also focus on elevating the level of digitization to surmount the potential turning point of the Kuznets curve. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-025-06960-4

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS