.NET Rocks! More Sustainable Software with Tom Kerkhove
Nov 27, 2025
Tom Kerkhove, a Senior software engineer at Microsoft specializing in Azure API Management, shares insights on creating environmentally sustainable software. He discusses the importance of making carbon footprints visible in applications and the potential of shifting workloads to low-emission data centers. Kerkhove highlights the need to measure emissions before taking action and addresses the issue of wasted CI/CD cycles. He also emphasizes the role of autoscaling in energy saving and the benefits of using API policies to minimize unnecessary workloads.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Retrofitting API Management Is Painful
- Tom recounts how adding API management late becomes painful due to DNS and endpoint changes.
- He stresses it's easier to include API management early rather than retrofit it into a live landscape.
Route Traffic To Greener Regions
- Azure API Management can route traffic to regions with cleaner energy profiles to reduce emissions.
- Shifting workloads to greener regions plus autoscaling can materially lower a service's carbon footprint.
Data Centers Are New Heavy Industry
- AI data centers are innovating in cooling, materials, and closed-loop water systems to reduce environmental impact.
- Building data centers near power sources mirrors heavy industry practices for huge energy users.