More Sustainable Software with Tom Kerkhove - .NET Rocks! Recap

Podcast: .NET Rocks!

Published: 2025-11-27

Duration: 54 min

Guests: Tom Kerkhove

Summary

Tom Kerkhove discusses how Azure API management can be leveraged to create more sustainable software by optimizing energy use and reducing emissions through strategic routing and scaling techniques.

What Happened

Tom Kerkhove explores how Azure API Management can be used to enhance software sustainability by routing traffic to data centers with lower emissions. This strategic routing can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of cloud services by taking advantage of data centers powered by greener energy sources during daylight hours.

He highlights the importance of measuring API utilization and emissions to identify opportunities for optimization. By analyzing usage patterns, companies can reduce over-provisioning and adjust scaling strategies, which helps in cutting down unnecessary energy consumption and costs.

Kerkhove emphasizes the role of auto-scaling in minimizing emissions and improving cost efficiency. Many companies still over-provision resources based on peak demand, but with intelligent scaling, these resources can be adjusted dynamically to match actual usage patterns.

The conversation touches on the potential of AI-driven agents in DevOps environments. These agents could optimize CI/CD pipelines by determining when builds are necessary, thereby reducing the computational overhead and energy usage associated with unnecessary builds.

Security concerns with API management are addressed, particularly in the context of AI models. By using Azure API Management, organizations can enforce strict security policies and ensure that only necessary API endpoints are exposed, mitigating security risks associated with API sprawl.

Kerkhove also discusses the integration of AI gateways with Azure API Management, which allows for better management of AI models by monitoring token usage and balancing workloads across regions.

He concludes by noting the advancements in data center efficiency, such as closed-loop water systems and innovative building materials, which contribute to more sustainable operations.

Key Insights