Modelling as a Service (MaaS): Minimizing the Environmental Impact of Computing Services

Given the projected growth in IT over the coming decades it is important that the supply of, and demand for, computing services be made as environmentally friendly as possible. One of the key technologies for achieving this will undoubtedly be cloud computing which opens up many new opportunities for streamlining the way computing services are delivered and used. Several research projects have therefore recently started to examine ways of improving the efficiency of cloud computing infrastructures and of understanding the energy efficiency of computing algorithms. However, to date these have mainly focused on increasing the efficiency of cloud computing services at the relatively low "platform" and "infrastructure" levels of abstraction at which they are typically offered today. In this paper we argue that to maximize the environmental benefits of cloud computing, both from the demand as well as the supply point of view, it is necessary to raise the level of abstraction at which cloud services are delivered and consumed. To this end, we introduce the vision of "Modelling as a Service (MaaS)" and explain how it provides an essential foundation for reducing the environmental impact of computing services.