High-Capacity Optical Networks and Energy Sustainability: The SEASON Project comes to a close. TeCIP Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and CNIT, together for innovation

High-Capacity Optical Networks and Energy Sustainability: The SEASON Project comes to a close. TeCIP Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna and CNIT, together for innovation

The European project SEASON (Self-Managed Sustainable High-Capacity Optical Networks), coordinated by the Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni(CNIT), is drawing to a close. Scuola Superiore Sant'Annatook part in the project under the scientific responsibility of Prof. Nicola Sambo. In particular, the team led by Prof. Sambo investigated technological solutions aimed at reducing energy consumption, and consequently CO₂ emissions, generated by ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), namely the Internet and the digital services we use on a daily basis.

It has been observed that in 2022 CO₂ emissions attributable to ICT exceeded those of air traffic, despite the fact that the Internet is used by a far larger share of the world's population than air transport. These emissions are expected to increase further, as data traffic continues to grow year after year. It is therefore essential to adopt measures capable of reducing the energy consumption of the Internet and making it more sustainable, while at the same time ensuring all the operations necessary for the proper functioning of the network and the delivery of its services.

Numerous solutions were proposed and evaluated by the School, each applicable to a specific segment of the network. Among them, particular attention was given to data traffic aggregation in the optical domain, that is, directly through the light traveling along optical fibers. This network function is traditionally performed by routers, devices equipped with input and output interfaces capable of aggregating data packets and forwarding them along specific links within the network. These devices operate in the electronic domain and account for a significant share of the energy consumption of data transport infrastructures.

The solution proposed by Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, developed in collaboration with partners such as Nokia Germany, Nokia Portugal, Telefónica (Spain's leading operator), TIM, FiberCop, and CNIT, makes it possible to eliminate a significant number of routers within the network and to aggregate traffic through light, using "passive" devices that do not require power supply and therefore do not contribute to CO₂ emissions.

The solutions developed within SEASON were presented to the international scientific community by Prof. Sambo through an invited talk at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference, one of the most prestigious conferences in the field. This recognition confirms the quality of the research carried out and its relevance in the global debate on the sustainability of digital infrastructures.