Inspiration

Our inspiration is to motivate and educate our generation and future generations on the topic of eco-friendly VM-allocation at data centers all over the UK.

What it does

Our algorithm analyzes the current carbon footprint-impact of data centers in the UK and looks for smart and ecologically sustainable re-allocations to datacenters in the UK.

How we built it

The algorithm bases its decision on the current amount of dirty energy used to run the VMs in the datacenters and uses live weather data from other datacenters to deploy VMs towards data centers with higher clean energy capacities. In general, we used GitHub a lot, which helped us develop the algorithm as a team.

Challenges we ran into

The first and most obvious challenge was the short time frame in which we had to develop a problem-solving solution. The scarcity of time as a resource had a heavy impact on our work ethic. It did not take long for us to run into the first technical challenges, one of which was the missing data for the case. In order to get a dataset to work on, we decided to develop an API that provides us with sufficient data to test the algorithm. Another challenge we faced was the decision on how we present our algorithm in a comprehensive way. Especially because we had to develop the frontend and the presentation simultaneously to the backend, which resulted in a lack of data and sleep. Testing the data was more difficult than thought at first because it turned out to be quite hard to simulate a realistic dataset.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our biggest accomplishment is that the algorithm turned out to work and that we received results, where the algorithm would have improved the overall carbon footprint of data centers in the UK. Other than that we had a great time coding and developing solutions as a team, in which we haven't worked before.

What we learned

We learned that communication is key in group work like this and that problem solving is always more efficient when the same goal is in mind. The HPI turned out to be a wonderful location to participate in a Hackathon: You always felt cared for and the University provided a more than amazing infrastructure to be productive and get shit done.

What's next for dirty astronauts

Without a doubt, the HackHPI 2022 cleanIT Hackathon was not the last occasion where the team of the dirty astronauts worked together. We are happily looking forward to the next time when we have the opportunity to improve our team working skills and overcome the challenges the future might bring together as a team. The future is fully dependent on what our generation does today. When we, as a society, decide to make an impact in this world, we have the ability to shape it with our bare hands.