Collaborative Research: DESC: Type I: Extending lifetimes of partially broken machines to repurpose e-waste

该项目的目标是通过延长计算设备的寿命来提高计算硬件的可持续性，即使它们开始出现部分故障。生产计算设备产生的碳排放量很高，在大多数功能仍可使用的情况下简单地扔掉计算机是浪费的。然而，由于高昂的诊断和维修成本，这是一种常见的做法。这个项目研究了一种新的方法，在这种方法中，剩余的工作部件按原样使用，而不是修复设备。软件系统不是为处理部分损坏的机器而设计的，因此调查人员将开发新的方法来管理这些部分损坏的机器，既适用于消费级硬件，也适用于数据中心级硬件。调查人员将关注的一个关键组件是固态硬盘(SSD)，根据设计，固态硬盘在使用过程中会磨损。通过将设备老化纳入调度决策，这项调查将发现如何通过智能老化感知调度和管理来延长设备的有效使用寿命。这项研究的结果将为利用故障硬件而不是维修或处置提供另一种选择。利用这些原本毫无用处的设备将提供额外的计算能力，这将减少需要生产的新硬件的数量。这符合计算环境可持续发展设计(DESC)计划，该计划的重点是计算设备的整个生命周期及其相应的环境影响。具体地说，延长计算设备的使用寿命减少了需要生产的设备数量，从而降低了相关的碳排放和制造过程中的有毒副产品。调查人员将与业界和学术研究人员接触，以提高对该问题的认识并传播结果，包括将可持续发展主题纳入调查人员所在机构的课程。调查人员还将包括本科生和高中生，以允许更广泛和更多样化的参与研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The goal of this project is to improve sustainability of computing hardware by extending the lifetimes of computing equipment even when they start to partially break down. The carbon emissions from producing computing equipment is high and it is wasteful to simply throw away computers when most of the functionality may still work. Yet this is a common practice due to high diagnosis and repair costs. This project investigates a new approach where instead of repairing devices, the remaining working components are utilized as-is. Software systems are not designed to handle partially broken machines, so the investigators will develop new approaches for managing these partially broken machines, both for consumer-grade hardware and datacenter-grade hardware. One key component the investigators will focus on is Solid State Drives (SSDs), which by design will wear-out with use. By incorporating device age into scheduling decisions, this investigation will discover how to extend their effective lifetimes through intelligent age-aware scheduling and management. The results of this research will enable an alternative option for utilizing failing hardware instead of repair or disposal. Utilizing this otherwise useless equipment will provide additional compute capacity, which would reduce the amount of new hardware that needs to be produced. This fits within the Design for Environmental Sustainability in Computing (DESC) program where the focus is on the entire lifecycle of computing equipment and its corresponding environmental impact. Specifically, extending the lifetimes of computing equipment reduces the amount of equipment that needs to be produced, thereby lowering the associated carbon emissions and toxic byproducts from the manufacturing process. The investigators will engage with both industry and academic researchers to raise awareness of the problem and disseminate results, including incorporating sustainability topics in the curriculum at the investigators' respective institutions. The investigators will also involve undergraduates and high school students where applicable to allow for broader and more diverse participation in the research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.