To reduce e-waste, Microsoft is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) robots to streamline the disposal of old hard drives in data centers.
The initiative is part of the Secure and Sustainable Disposal of Hard Disks project, which emerged during the 2022 Microsoft Hackathon. The project, led by Principal Data Scientist Ranganathan Srikanth, builds on Microsoft’s Circular Centers program, which is designed to reuse and recycle servers and related cloud hardware.
Circular Centers are a critical part of Microsoft’s broader environmental goals. In 2020, Microsoft President Brad Smith pledged to be carbon negative by 2050 and zero waste by 2030.
#NoShred
Data centers, which house computing systems and essential components such as telecommunications and storage, contribute significantly to the world’s electricity demand. In 2022, this was around 1-1.3%, but thanks to AI, energy consumption is skyrocketing and is expected to at least double by 2026. This increases the pressure on local power grids, and end-of-life data centers risk clogging landfills with e-waste.
Srikanth saw the potential to address these mounting issues through the Hackathon project. “If it was just one hard drive, it wouldn’t be a possibility,” Srikanth noted. “But in 2022 alone, two million hard drives will be shredded, and that would fill the payload of nine 747s.”
Historically, end-of-life hard drives were shredded to protect sensitive data, but this process also destroys valuable materials such as neodymium. Up to 70 million HDDs are destroyed each year, resulting in a significant waste of rare metals.
The Hackathon team proposed a #NoShred solution, which prioritizes dismantling HDDs using robotics. “The process uses computer vision and robotics to disassemble the hard drive, sort it, and destroy the media containing data. The materials are then recycled,” a Microsoft narrator explained in a new video you can watch below. By disassembling the drives, the robots ensure data security while preserving and recycling component parts.
Microsoft’s Circular Centers use machine learning to decommission servers on-site, sort reusable parts and improve the sustainability of future equipment. A successful pilot in Amsterdam showed reduced downtime, increased parts availability and lower carbon emissions, Microsoft says.
The Safe and Sustainable Disposal of Hard Drives project aims to achieve a 90% reuse and recycling rate of all hard drives by 2025.