Energy-Aware and Green Cloud Computing for Sustainable Data Centers

The rapid expansion of cloud computing infrastructures has significantly increased global energy consumption and carbon emissions, raising concerns about environmental sustainability and operational efficiency in modern data centers (Maheshkar 2026; Singh et al. 2026). This study examines energy-aware and green cloud computing strategies that aim to reduce power usage and environmental impact through intelligent resource management and artificial intelligence-based optimization (Maheshkar 2025; Danach et al. 2026). Using a systematic review and comparative analytical approach, this research evaluates existing frameworks, scheduling techniques, and governance models that support sustainable cloud operations (Noor et al. 2026; Hebbar et al. 2026). The findings indicate that integrating AI-driven orchestration, carbon-aware scheduling, and financial governance mechanisms can significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions without compromising service quality (Maheshkar 2024; Maheshkar Patent). The study concludes that sustainable data center management requires unified, adaptive, and policy-driven systems that align technical performance with environmental responsibility (Maheshkar 2026; Singh et al. 2026).