Robots powered by artificial intelligence are being used by Microsoft to destroy old data center hard drivesas the company explained in a video released in early September. In addition to reducing electronic waste, the process allows for the recycling of valuable materials.
The destruction of end-of-life HDs occurs mainly for protection of stored confidential databut this also leads to the loss of materials, such as neodymium, found in the equipment. Since around 70 million discs are dismantled annually, there is a considerable waste of rare metals.
To solve the problem, the Redmond giant started investing in disassembly of HDs with robotics, using computer vision to divide the device, classify it and destroy the part with data. At the same time, metals are preserved for recycling.
Included in the “Safe and Sustainable Disposal of Hard Drives” project, the AI-powered robot destruction of hard drives is led by data scientist Ranganathan Srikanth and is associated with Microsoft’s Circular Centers program, which aims to achieve bold sustainability goals. One of the plans is become carbon negative by 2050.
Excessive electronic waste and high energy demand
Housing fundamental systems and components, data centers already had a high energy demand, which expected to double by 2026 because of new AI tools. In view of this, projects like Microsoft's are important for reducing electronic waste in facilities that are approaching the end of their useful life.
At Circular Centers, machine learning is used to decommission servers and sort reusable parts. In a pilot project in the Netherlands, the company was able to greater availability of components and lower carbon emissionsfrom the integration into the initiative.
Using AI in the Safe and Sustainable Disposal of Hard Drives, the forecast is to achieve a reuse and recycling rate of at least 90% of HDs by next year.