Towards a Conceptual Framework for Greener Software Systems

The Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is one of the fastest growing contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and is expected to consume 20% of global energy by 2025. To mitigate the environmental impacts of software systems, which are an important part of the ICT, it is mandatory to evaluate energy efficiency already during the early design phases to achieve greener software systems. Applying the Design Science Research Methodology, key challenges are identified, solution objectives are defined, and a conceptual framework for greener software systems is developed, drawing on insights from existing research in software development, architecture, and energy-efficient programming. This paper presents a holistic framework for greener software systems by integrating energy efficiency considerations into traditional software development processes using the C4 software architecture model, identifying Green Smells to detect inefficiencies, and incorporating runtime monitoring for continuous optimization, thus providing a structured and practical approach to sustainable software engineering.