https://doi.org/10.1007/s41781-026-00168-5
Research
Enabling Users to Work Sustainably on Shared Institute Computing Resources
Physics Institute 3A, RWTH Aachen University, Otto-Blumenthal-Straße, 52074, Aachen, Germany
a
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Received:
13
April
2026
Accepted:
8
June
2026
Published online:
17
June
2026
Abstract
The VISPA project is a self-managed, mid-scale computing cluster that supports physics data analysis in research and teaching. Because the cluster is housed in a 1970s institute building with limited retrofit options, conventional efficiency upgrades would yield only minor energy savings. We, therefore, target sustainability primarily through user-centric measures. A monitoring system now records per-job energy consumption, while real-time data on the renewable share of the German power grid enable ’green-window’ scheduling. Users can query their individual energy consumption and carbon footprints, receive weekly reports, and tag jobs by project for aggregate accounting; memory records from previous runs help avoid oversubscription. All options are voluntary, fostering a cultural shift rather than imposing hard constraints. A simulation framework evaluates the potential impact of these measures. Together, the technological and behavioral interventions aim at medium-to-long-term reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions by increasing resource awareness within the scientific community.
Key words: Sustainability / Scientific computing
© The Author(s) 2026
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