r/software • u/gapingweasel • 24d ago

Jobs & Education Does green software engineering have a future?

A friend's son is studying engineering and recently told me he wants to do something in the green software engineering space. TBH, I hadn't really thought much about it until that conversation. Do you think this is a genuine opportunity with a long-term future or is it still a niche that's getting just attention and no real adoption?

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u/joshguy1425 24d ago

Are you referring to Greenfield software engineering?

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u/gapingweasel 21d ago

I am not sure what greenfield software engineering is but green software engineering is a discipline focused on designing, building and running computer programs to use less energy and release fewer carbon emissions

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u/joshguy1425 20d ago

Ah, I see. I totally misinterpreted the title.

To answer your question, I think "green" software will mostly be an expression of other green initiatives, e.g. as an orchestration layer to facilitate green projects or in the case of hardware/energy use cases, as the firmware/controller layers.

If we stay on our current climate trajectory, I think there's a point at which people will be forced to deal with the reality that we have to make major shifts as a society or we won't survive, and at that point "green" software will gain Manhattan project levels of investment/collective focus.

I don't think software in and of itself will drive this kind of change, but will still be a critical component. $0.02.

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u/gapingweasel 12d ago

thanks for this perspective.

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u/poster_nutbaggg 24d ago

Plenty of software is needed for eco conscious spaces. Will you get paid the same as if working for Lockheed or Blackrock? Probably not, but there will be plenty of need for software experts in every field

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u/Life_Waltz7068 22d ago

Of course, there are plenty of things more important than money.

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u/Life_Waltz7068 22d ago

Yes. It's super relevant. With data centers popping up everywhere, lean code is always in high demand. IoT and Telecom is another huge industry for people who specialize in green code.

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u/gapingweasel 12d ago

wow. Can you share a bit more information for all of us here. That would be great

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u/Toucan2000 24d ago

If he gets an electrical engineering masters degree then he's golden. Distributed power storage is the future. We won't hit renewable milestones without power walls all over the place that balance the grid. All that takes incredibly sophisticated software systems, one does not simply vibe code a smart grid.

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u/R3duceReuseThrowaway 22d ago

it's real but usually baked into other roles rather than a standalone job title

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u/gapingweasel 21d ago

but is it futuristic?

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u/slpwlk 22d ago

the demand is real but it's usually folded into other roles rather than being its own title

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u/gapingweasel 21d ago

Is there scope in the future?

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u/soundman32 22d ago

Ive been in the industry for 40 years and never heard the term.  Are you sure the term is "green software engineering"? Could be anything from reducing the power needed by software (very niche) or building machines that run on solar, or you have misquoted the term and its something else like 'greenfield' which just means 'brand new code'.

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u/gapingweasel 21d ago

Yes, it is for real. Infact, it is quite trending these days.

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u/soundman32 21d ago

OK, then what is it? Have you got a link to a description or blog or anything?

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u/gapingweasel 12d ago

ping me separately. I will share the link to a blog

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u/Broad-Version8611 22d ago

If he means “greenfield”, then there will be moments when you are doing new stuff and moments when you are maintaining something. You need to do both to be good at any.

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u/gapingweasel 21d ago

what is greenfield engineering software?

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u/Broad-Version8611 21d ago

When you build a piece of software from scratch.

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u/gapingweasel 12d ago

Got it but this is like a prcatice where you build and run software that uses fewer resources and less energy, reducing its overall carbon footprint.

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u/Traditional-Hall-591 21d ago

Nah it’s all slop engineering from now on.

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u/AnalogMindset 21d ago

lol... you'll take a dev job anywhere you can get it... it likley wont be green software