IBM's Sustainable IT Solutions: Repurposing Equipment for Cost-Effective Cloud Resources

For several decades, IBM has prioritized the design of products that are easily serviceable and upgradeable, while also emphasizing the reuse, recycling, and recoverability of materials used in their production. IBM actively promotes hardware refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling initiatives. Leading this effort is Linda Demmler, the General Manager of IBM Global Asset Recovery Services, who continually seeks opportunities to repurpose IBM Z, IBM Power, IBM Storage, and other IT equipment to minimize waste.
 
In 2023, IBM embarked on a program to repurpose equipment returned by clients who were upgrading to new IBM systems. This returned equipment was utilized to refresh IBM's own internal inventory of servers and storage units. Linda and her team spearheaded various projects, such as the replacement of Z13 servers with Z15 servers, effectively repurposing servers and reducing waste. These efforts contributed to IBM's impressive track record of reselling, reusing, or recycling 96.8% of end-of-life products.
 
By leveraging IBM's Certified Pre-Owned equipment, the team successfully deployed cost-effective cloud-based resources to support development teams. This approach ensured that the capacity of these resources aligned with the timing of application support requirements, optimizing efficiency and reducing costs.