GTG Links 52 – Console upgrades, Europe's positive power story, more AI deets, and Super Typhoon Yagi

I am on deadline for a grant app submission this weekend, so this one will be super-mega-rapid fire. I also haven't finished the piece I meant to for last week, so things are starting to pile up. Nevertheless, we press on. Let's check out the trends impacting games + sustainability from the past couple of weeks.

It's getting close to being one year of the onslaught on Gaza and the West Bank, and it still feels incredibly weird and unsettling to carry on like normal talking about silly little video games, as if there's not more important things happening. Here's a weird little reminder that gaming happens in the world, and doesn't just happen to allow escapism. Environmental, economic, and political conditions are required to enable that joy and freedom, and they can just as easily be taken away.

The French Cultural Fund CNC explains the carbon accounting required for new game grants

Spotted this detail via the Jyros newsletter:

“As of March 1, 2025, all new applications for production aid for video game and animation works will be conditioned on the submission of the provisional and final balance sheets of their carbon footprint.”

Éco-conditionnalité des aides du CNC : Remise d’une double...

Cette mesure s’inscrit dans le cadre du Plan Action ! et concerne les bénéficiaires d’aides à la production du CNC afin de les accompagner dans leur transition environnementale.

Logo CNC

Console sales figures for Europe

GSD European Sales July 2024: PS5 -56%, NSW -29%, XBS -42%

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/video-game-sales-up-in-europe-during-july-despite-a-lack-of-major-releases-european-monthly-charts Hardware 263.000 consoles sold, -46% YoY #1 PS5 -56% YoY #2 NSW -29% YoY #3 XBS -42% YoY Software 2.4m videogames sold, +3.4% YoY The only 2024 release in the top 10…

Install BaseKowalski

The PS5 Pro was announced... overshadowing other Sony news

The PS5 Pro is coming! And, er... it's pretty expensive. Any guesses what the power consumption will be? Or the embodied emissions in the new device? Sony hasn't (to my knowledge) released an LCA for the original PS5, unlike Microsoft's which has data sheets for all its devices now. I wouldn't holding your breath for one for teh PS5 Pro. When I hear more, you'll be the first to know.

Meanwhile - and perhaps BIGGER news for readers of GTG – somewhat overshadowed by the big announcement is the quiet release of Sony's annual environmental report on 2023 activities. Again, haven't had time to dig in but it's here if you want to. [PDF] Here's their totals, which still look like Scope 3 (value chain) is 90% of their footprint.

We haven't compared the corporate inventory total to last year yet, but here's how their product use figures are tracking by segment. The big takeaway? Sony's gamers are now HALF of their product use emissions total. So that looks like gamers are about 6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions to my reading of that graph. Phwooar. That's a lot. For perspective, the total disclosed corporate footprint of the games industry in last year's net zero snapshot was around 7million tonnes (14 if we extend an average figure to those large companies that didn't disclose!). So, yeah that's a problem.

More of an issue for Sony themselves is that reductions in one area (Television) are being offset by the growth in the Game division. Hard to see this trend turning around with the launch of the PS5 Pro.

We'll try and have some more analysis shortly.

https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/csr_report/

The Renewable Electricity + European Energy Story

EU economy greenhouse gas emissions: -4.0% in Q1 2024

In the first quarter of 2024, the EU economy greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 894 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), a 4.0% decrease compared with the same quarter of 2023 (931 million tonnes of CO2-eq). The EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) remained stable, registering just a small increase (0.3% in the first quarter of 2024, compared with the same quarter of 2023). This information comes from data on quarterly estimates for greenhouse gas emissions by economic activity published by Eurostat today. Quarterly estimates of greenhouse gas emissions complement quarterly socio-economic data, such as GDP or employment. This article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on quarterly greenhouse gas emissions. Source datasets: env_ac_aigg_q, namq_10_gdp In the first quarter of 2024, the economic sectors responsible for the largest reductions compared with the first quarter of 2023 were electricity and gas supply (-12.6%) and households (-4.4%). Greenhouse gas emissions down in 20 EU countries In the first quarter of 2024, greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to have decreased in 20 EU countries, when compared with the same quarter of 2023. The largest reductions in greenhouse gases are estimated for Bulgaria (-15.2%), Germany (-6.7%) and Belgium (-6.0%). Out of the 20 EU members that are estimated to have decreased their emissions, 8 also recorded a decline in their GDP (Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland). The other 12 EU countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Croatia) are estimated to have managed to decrease emissions while growing their GDP. Source datasets: env_ac_aigg_q, namq_10_gdp

EurostatEurostat

Great news from the Eurozone and power sector carbon intenstiy – from the above summary. Standouts are in Eastern Europe. Why is Bulgaria down 15%? Probably because they’re closing coal power plants...

What’s next for Bulgaria’s coal power plans?

The government is preparing a final recovery plan proposal and is now planning to close 800 MW of coal-fired capacity and limit the capacity of Maritsa East TPPS by 30%

kinsights.capital.bgKinsights

Jiri posted this link to these stats in the SGA discord – did you know we have a discord? Jump in, we have some great discussions and it’s only going to get more exciting as we start to ramp up our work.

Extreme hardware optimisation for low power

Very cool stuff, via Chris Waldon @ WattWiser.

Extreme Pi Boot Optimization

🚀 3.5 sec to Linux userspace code

KittenLabsKittenLabs

Meta’s data centre expansion is mind-blowing 

Meta data center electricity consumption hits 14,975GWh, leased data center use nearly doubles

In a huge jump as it embraces AI build out

DCDSebastian Moss

AI footprints

"Not a single company that offers AI tools, that I know of, provides energy usage and carbon footprint information," Luccioni says in tones of rising frustration. "We don't even know how big models like GPT are. Nothing is divulged, everything is a company secret."

In short: climate-conscious, AI-hungry companies like Google and Microsoft have become a little compartmentalized. They can tell you exactly how many kilograms of carbon your next plane flight is going to emit, but won't offer the same when it comes to your next AI-written term paper or AI-painted Pope in a puffy jacket.

Perhaps with good reason: if we knew the environmental cost of AI products, we'd start shaming each other for our flagrant usage of it.”

How much is AI hurting the planet? Big tech won’t tell us.

Big tech won’t tell you, but let us paint you a picture.

MashableChris Taylor

Enviro impacts of AI

Hugging Face is doing a lot in this space – and this is a great primer.

The Environmental Impacts of AI -- Primer

A Blog post by Sasha Luccioni on Hugging Face

Primer

Very cool piece on the efficiency of EVs vs FF cars

The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

efficiency is good, until you want to heat your car

The Climate BrinkAndrew Dessler

Climate

“"In a unanimous decision, it found parts of South Korea’s climate law unconstitutional for failing to protect the rights of future generations and passing an excessive burden to them. The ruling now requires the national assembly to set legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2031-49 by February 2026. The government issued a statement saying it plans to faithfully implement follow-up measures."

‘Typhoons have prevented me going to school’: The children behind South Korea’s landmark climate win

Hannah Kim, eight, and Jeah Han, 12, are part of a group of activists that won a four-year fight to tackle climate inaction. For them, it is just the beginning

The GuardianRaphael Rashid

Norway August temps

And a bunch of impacts from Super-Typhoon Yagi

Yagi: China evacuates 410,000 ahead of super typhoon - BBC News

About 400,000 in Hainan island evacuated to safe ground ahead of Yagi’s arrival.

BBC NewsKelly Ng and Joel Guinto

And more videos

Unexpected climate impacts: Greenland landslide

Entire Earth vibrated for nine days after climate-triggered mega-tsunami

Landslide in Greenland caused unprecedented seismic event that shows impact of global heating, say scientists

The GuardianDamian Carrington

Cost of transportation from three different modes of commuting

And the tool they use to calculate external costs to the city etc – suuuuper handy!

Travel cost calculator

https://www.calgary.ca

Helsinki getting a huge district level heat pump

World’s largest heat pump to warm 30,000 homes in Finland

World’s largest heat pump powered by renewable energy will help Helsinki meet its heating demands while reducing carbon emissions.

Interesting EngineeringAmeya Paleja

Have a great weekend!