Designing Functional—and Sustainable—Software and Electronics
The rise of AI has come with a staggering increase in energy usage. A recent report from the International Energy Agency notes that a single search on ChatGPT alone uses 2.9 Watt-hours of electricity compared to the 0.3 of a traditional Google search.
While efforts to reduce energy consumption in modern computing tend to focus on hardware and the energy sources powering large data centers, the University of Pittsburgh’s Amr Mahmoud hopes to increase awareness of another, less targeted source: software.
Mahmoud, assistant professor of electrical and computing engineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, has received an Engineering One Planet Mini-Grant (EOP-MGP) from the American Society for Engineering Education to develop and incorporate educational modules that teach sustainable programming and green electronics, and the impact they can have on the environment and in people’s lives.
“While researching how universities are teaching sustainable computing, I found very little about software,” noted Mahmoud. “Yet a program running on the cloud can use up a lot of energy.”
Mahmoud and his department colleague, Assistant Professor Mohamed Bayoumy, will develop six two-week modules on sustainable electronics and software development. In fall 2025 they will begin using these modules in three core computer engineering courses: Electronic Circuit Design Laboratory, Algorithms for Big Data, and Senior Design.
Mahmoud and Bayoumy also bring a unique perspective to the project—both earned their PhDs in electrical and computer engineering from the Swanson School in 2019.
“Too often we see students designing programs or circuits with only functionality in mind,” said Mahmoud. “With these modules and the focus on sustainability that they will bring to the classroom, we hope to change that.”
Students will encounter the modules in the second, third, and fourth year of their study, which Mahmoud believes will help reinforce sustainability principles. They will learn how to evaluate the carbon footprint of software and how to use coding to make programs as energy efficient as possible. They will develop greener electronics, creating circuits that consume less energy while maintaining functionality.
“I’m honored to receive this grant and to be part of the fourth cohort of the Engineering One Planet Mini-Grant Program,” said Mahmoud. The grant is only awarded to any institution once over the lifetime of the program. “The project aligns so closely with the Pitt Sustainability Plan and with Engineering One Planet’s mission to make sustainability an essential component of engineering.”
Mahmoud hopes to fine tune the modules so that educators anywhere can easily incorporate them into lessons to teach sustainable computing.
“The ultimate goal is awareness,” Mahmoud noted. “When students graduate and start working, we want them to consider sustainability in whatever they’re designing—whether that’s code or hardware. With this awareness, the next generation of engineers can help ensure a greener planet.”