Sustainable Software Development: New Challenges for Programming, Language Design and Analysis

This chapter delves into the critical issue of sustainable software development, focusing on the challenges posed by the increasing energy consumption of ICT systems. It begins by examining the technological advancements in hardware, particularly the evolution of processor architectures from single-core to multi-core and heterogeneous-core designs. The chapter highlights how these changes have implications for software development, emphasizing the need for programming languages and practices that align better with modern hardware to minimize energy consumption. It explores various programming paradigms, including functional programming, message-passing models, and data-oriented programming, and discusses their potential to improve energy efficiency. The chapter also reviews the role of static analysis and type systems in optimizing energy usage, presenting innovative approaches to energy management in software. Additionally, it provides practical insights into measuring and reducing energy consumption through software design and implementation. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the need for further research and collaboration between hardware and software engineers to develop more sustainable ICT systems.