Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processor, a method and a program for suppressing power consumption related to transmission of data required for processing a task.SOLUTION: In the information processing system S, the information processing apparatus includes an accepting unit that accepts a task processing request including area specifying information for specifying an area A1 in which a terminal of a request source of the task is located, a specifying unit that specifies a surplus power amount derived from renewable energy of each of a plurality of data centers located in a plurality of areas A1 to A4 and a power consumption amount required to process the request task, and a selecting unit that selects a nearby data center of the terminal as a data center that processes the request task when the surplus power amount of the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount. And an instruction unit configured to instruct the selected data center to process the requested task when the surplus power amount is less than the power consumption amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, tasks have been processed using electricity derived from renewable energy. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that calculates the amount of surplus electricity derived from renewable energy in each of multiple data centers based on the amount of electricity generated by the renewable energy power source corresponding to each of the multiple data centers and the amount of electricity used in the data centers, and assigns tasks to the multiple data centers based on the calculated amount of surplus electricity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-189845 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a task is processed at a data center that is geographically distant from the area where the task is requested to be processed, the data required to process the task must be transmitted to the data center that processes the task, which poses a problem of increased power consumption associated with transmitting the data.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has as its object to reduce the amount of power consumed in transmitting data required to process a task. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention has: a reception unit that receives a task processing request that requests the processing of a task, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying the area in which a terminal that requested the task is located; an identification unit that identifies surplus power, which is the surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of a plurality of data centers that are located in each of a plurality of areas and are capable of processing the task using electricity derived from renewable energy, and the amount of power consumption required to process a requested task, which is a task corresponding to the task processing request; a selection unit that selects a nearby data center that is a data center corresponding to an area identified based on the area identification information included in the task processing request, as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, and selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption; and an instruction unit that instructs the data center selected by the selection unit to process the requested task.

[0007] When the amount of surplus power corresponding to the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, the selection unit may select a data center other than the nearby data center that is included in a large area that includes the area in which the nearby data center is located as the data center to process the requested task.

[0008] The selection unit may select, as the data center to process the requested task, the data center with the largest amount of surplus power from among a plurality of data centers that are different from the nearby data center and are included in the large area.

[0009] The selection unit may select, from among a plurality of data centers different from the nearby data center included in the large area, a data center whose surplus power amount is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount and whose surplus power amount is the smallest, as the data center to process the requested task.

[0010] The task processing request may include type information indicating the type of task that requires processing, and if the type information included in the task processing request indicates a type of task that requires a response within a specified response time, the selection unit may select the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task, regardless of whether the amount of surplus power corresponding to the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption.

[0011] After the processing of the requested task is instructed, the identification unit may identify the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center, which is the data center instructed to process the requested task, and if the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the selection unit may select another data center other than the specified data center from among the multiple data centers based on the amount of surplus power, and the instruction unit may instruct a change in processing of the requested task from the specified data center to the other data center selected by the selection unit.

[0012] If the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the selection unit may select another data center whose amount of surplus power is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold from among multiple other data centers different from the specified data center that are included in a large area that includes the area in which the specified data center is located.

[0013] The selection unit may select the other data center under the condition that the amount of data used to process the requested task transferred from the specified data center to the other data center is less than a predetermined amount, and the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined amount of power.

[0014] The identification unit may identify the communication status between the specified data center and the other data center, and if the transfer time required to transfer data used to process the requested task from the specified data center to the other data center, the transfer time being identified based on the communication status and the amount of data, is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the instruction unit may cause the specified data center to execute the processing of the requested task without instructing a change in processing of the requested task from the specified data center to the other data center selected by the selection unit.

[0015] After the processing of the requested task is instructed, the identification unit may identify the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center, which is the data center instructed to process the requested task, and if the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the instruction unit may instruct the specified data center to process the requested task using commercial power.

[0016] The identification unit may identify the amount of surplus electricity based on the amount of electricity generated by renewable energy corresponding to the data center, the amount of electricity used in the data center, and the amount of electricity stored in renewable energy corresponding to the data center.

[0017] The identification unit may identify the amount of surplus electricity derived from the renewable energy of each of the multiple data centers as the amount of surplus electricity, and identify the amount of electricity consumed to process the requested task as the amount of electricity consumed, and the selection unit may select the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus electricity for each of multiple time periods indicated by the amount of surplus electricity identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of electricity consumed for each of the multiple time periods.

[0018] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: receiving a task processing request executed by a computer, the task processing request requesting processing of a task, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying an area in which a terminal requesting the task is located; identifying surplus power, which is the surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of a plurality of data centers located in each of a plurality of areas and capable of processing the task using electricity derived from renewable energy, and the amount of power consumption required to process a requested task, which is a task corresponding to the task processing request; selecting a nearby data center that corresponds to an area identified based on the area identification information included in the task processing request, as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption; and selecting a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption; and instructing the selected data center to process the requested task.

[0019] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a computer to function as: a reception unit that receives a task processing request that requests the processing of a task, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying the area in which the terminal that requested the task is located; an identification unit that identifies the amount of surplus power that is the amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of a plurality of data centers that are located in each of a plurality of areas and that are capable of processing the task using electricity derived from renewable energy, and the amount of power consumption required to process a requested task that is a task corresponding to the task processing request; a selection unit that selects a nearby data center that corresponds to an area identified based on the area identification information included in the task processing request as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, and selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption; and an instruction unit that instructs the data center selected by the selection unit to process the requested task. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the amount of power consumption related to the transmission of data required to process a task. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of data center information. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of area relation information. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculating a utilization rate of renewable energy. [Figure 6]10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing until an information processing device instructs a data center to process a requested task. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] [Outline of Information Processing System S] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system S. The information processing system S is a system having an information processing device 1 and multiple data centers 2, and is a system that, upon receiving a task processing request from a terminal 3 requesting task processing, processes a requested task, which is a task corresponding to the task processing request.

[0023] The information processing device 1 is, for example, a computer connected to a plurality of data centers 2 and terminals 3 via a communication network such as the Internet. The information processing device 1 receives a task processing request from the terminal 3 and selects, from the plurality of data centers 2, a data center that will process a requested task corresponding to the task processing request.

[0024] Each of the multiple data centers 2 is distributed across multiple areas. In this embodiment, the information processing system S has data centers 2A to 2D as the data centers 2. Data center 2A is located in area A1, data center 2B in area A2, data center 2C in area A3, and data center 2D in area A4. Areas A1 and A2 are included in large area LA1. Areas A3 and A4 are included in large area LA2. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between data centers 2A to 2D, these data centers will be referred to as data centers 2.

[0025] Each of the multiple data centers 2 is connected to a power generation device (not shown) that generates power using renewable energy such as solar power generation, and a power storage device (not shown) that stores the power generated by the power generation device. Each of the multiple data centers 2 can process tasks using power derived from renewable energy generated by the power generation device and power derived from renewable energy stored in the power storage device. Furthermore, each of the multiple data centers 2 is connected to a commercial power source, and can process tasks using power supplied from the commercial power source when it is not possible to process tasks using power derived from renewable energy. Note that, in this embodiment, the renewable energy will be described as being solar power generation, but the renewable energy may also be wind power generation, hydroelectric power generation, geothermal power generation, or the like.

[0026] In this embodiment, first, the information processing device 1 receives a task processing request from the terminal 3 requesting task processing ((1) in FIG. 1). The task processing request includes area identification information for identifying the area in which the terminal that requested the task is located. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the task processing request includes area identification information indicating that the area in which the terminal 3 is located is area A1. Upon receiving the task processing request, the information processing device 1 identifies the amount of power consumption required to process the requested task corresponding to the task processing request ((2) in FIG. 1).

[0027] In addition, the information processing device 1 receives surplus power information from each of the multiple data centers 2 indicating the amount of surplus power, which is the amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of the multiple data centers 2 ((3) in Figure 1), and identifies the amount of surplus power in each of the multiple data centers 2.

[0028] The information processing device 1 selects a data center to process the requested task from among multiple data centers 2 based on the identified amount of surplus power and the amount of power consumption ((4) in FIG. 1). Specifically, if the identified amount of surplus power for a nearby data center, which is a data center 2 corresponding to the area indicated by the area identification information included in the task processing request, is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, the information processing device 1 selects the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task. Furthermore, if the identified amount of surplus power for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, the information processing device 1 selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task.

[0029] 1, the nearby data center corresponding to the area indicated by the area information included in the task processing request is data center 2A. If the amount of surplus power identified for data center 2A is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, information processing device 1 selects data center 2A as the data center that will process the requested task.

[0030] Then, the information processing device 1 instructs the terminal 3 to transmit data to be used in processing the task to the selected data center 2A, and instructs the data center 2A to process the requested task ((5) and (6) in FIG. 1). In this way, the information processing device 1 can reduce the amount of power consumption related to the transmission of data necessary to process the task.

[0031] [Functional configuration of information processing device 1] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the information processing device 1. FIG.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from a plurality of data centers 2, terminals 3, etc. via a communication network.

[0033] The storage unit 12 is a storage medium that stores various types of data, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 stores a program that causes the control unit 13 to function as a reception unit 131, an identification unit 132, a selection unit 133, and an instruction unit 134.

[0034] The storage unit 12 also stores data center information in which a data center ID for identifying a data center is associated with an area ID for identifying an area. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of data center information. As shown in Fig. 3, it can be seen that a data center ID is associated with the area ID of the area in which the data center of the data center ID is located.

[0035] The storage unit 12 also stores area range information indicating the range of each of the multiple areas. For example, each of the multiple areas corresponds to a regional mesh defined as a grid of longitude and latitude on a map, and the area ID of each of the multiple areas is associated with a regional mesh code for identifying the regional mesh included in the area. Here, the regional mesh indicated by the regional mesh code is associated with range information indicating the latitude and longitude range corresponding to the regional mesh, and one regional mesh can be identified based on location information indicating the latitude and longitude.

[0036] The storage unit 12 also stores area relationship information indicating the relationship between a plurality of areas, a large area including the plurality of areas, and a wide area including the plurality of large areas. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the area relationship information. As shown in Fig. 4, it can be seen that the area ID of the wide area is associated with the area ID of each of the plurality of large areas, and that the area ID of each of the plurality of areas is associated with the area ID of each of the plurality of large areas.

[0037] The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 executes a program stored in the storage unit 12, thereby functioning as a reception unit 131, a specification unit 132, a selection unit 133, and an instruction unit 134.

[0038] [Select a data center to process your request] First, a process for selecting a data center that processes a requested task, which is a task corresponding to a task processing request, will be described.

[0039] The receiving unit 131 receives a task processing request that requests processing of a task, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying the area that the terminal that has requested the task is located in. Specifically, the receiving unit 131 receives, from the terminal 3, a task processing request that includes location information of the terminal 3 as area identification information and type information that indicates the type of task that is requested to be processed.

[0040] Tasks include, for example, AI (Artificial Intelligence) learning processes such as learning a model to identify obstacles that appear in images of the vehicle's surroundings collected by the vehicle, mosaic processing of vehicle license plates that appear in images collected by the vehicle, and interactive processing with an AI agent using LLMs (Large Language Models).

[0041] The types of tasks include, for example, types that require a response within a predetermined response time and types that do not require a response within the predetermined response time. Note that in this embodiment, the terminal 3 does not transmit data used in processing the task to the information processing device 1, but transmits the data to the data center 2 that processes the task.

[0042] The identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of surplus power that is the amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of multiple data centers 2 that are located in each of multiple areas and that are capable of processing tasks using power derived from renewable energy. For example, the identifying unit 132 receives surplus power information from each of the multiple data centers 2 that indicates the amount of surplus power that is the amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of the multiple data centers 2, and identifies the amount of surplus power in each of the multiple data centers 2.

[0043] Note that the identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of surplus power of each of the multiple data centers 2 by receiving surplus power information, but this is not limiting. The identifying unit 132 may identify the amount of surplus power based on the amount of power generated by renewable energy corresponding to the data center 2, the amount of power used in the data center 2, and the amount of stored renewable energy corresponding to the data center 2.

[0044] For example, the identifying unit 132 identifies the future time trend of the amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of the multiple data centers 2 as the amount of surplus power. Specifically, the identifying unit 132 identifies the future time trend of the amount of power generated from renewable energy in each of the multiple data centers 2. For example, the storage unit 12 stores location information indicating the location of a power generation device that supplies power derived from renewable energy to each of the multiple data centers 2, and power generation amount information indicating the amount of power generated by the power generation device under each of multiple weather conditions. The identifying unit 132 acquires hourly weather information corresponding to the location of the power generation facility from an external device, for example, via the Internet, and identifies the time trend of the amount of power generated from renewable energy based on the weather information and the amount of power generated by the power generation device under each weather condition indicated by the power generation amount information stored in the storage unit 12.

[0045] The identifying unit 132 also identifies the time transition of the amount of power used in each of the multiple data centers 2 by acquiring, from each of the multiple data centers 2, power usage amount transition information indicating the time transition of the amount of power used in the data center 2. The identifying unit 132 also identifies the time transition of the amount of stored power of renewable energy corresponding to each of the multiple data centers 2 by acquiring, from each of the multiple data centers 2, power storage amount transition information indicating the time transition of the amount of power stored of renewable energy stored in the power storage device corresponding to the data center 2. The identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of surplus power by identifying the time transition of the amount of surplus power based on the time transition of the amount of power generated by renewable energy, the time transition of the amount of power used, and the time transition of the amount of stored power of renewable energy identified for each of the multiple data centers 2.

[0046] The identifying unit 132 also identifies the amount of power consumption required to process a requested task, which is a task corresponding to the task processing request. The identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of power consumption as the change over time in the amount of power consumed to process the requested task. The identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of power consumption corresponding to each of the multiple data centers 2 based on the computational resources available in each of the multiple data centers 2 and the processing volume of the requested task.

[0047] For example, the task processing amount per unit time of a CPU as a computational resource and the unit power consumption amount, which is the power consumption per unit time when the CPU processes the task, are specified in advance. The specifying unit 132 specifies the task processing amount per unit time and the unit power consumption amount in the data center 2 based on the number of CPUs available in the data center 2.

[0048] Furthermore, the specifying unit 132 estimates the processing amount of the requested task. If the requested task is a learning process related to AI, the specifying unit 132 estimates the processing amount of the requested task based on the amount of data used in the learning process.

[0049] Then, the identifying unit 132 calculates a task processing time, which is the time required to process the task in the data center 2, based on the estimated task processing amount and the unit power consumption calculated based on the computational resources available in the data center 2. The identifying unit 132 identifies the power consumption trend in the data center 2 based on the calculated task processing time and unit power consumption, thereby identifying the power consumption required to process the requested task in the data center 2.

[0050] The number of available CPUs is the number of CPUs at the time when a task processing request is accepted, but may fluctuate depending on the processing status of other tasks in the data center 2. For this reason, the identifying unit 132 may refer to task scheduling information in the data center 2 to identify the number of CPUs available at each time, and identify the task processing volume and power consumption for each time based on the number of CPUs available at each time. In this case, the identifying unit 132 calculates the task processing time, which is the time required to process the task in the data center 2, based on the estimated task processing volume and the task processing volume for each time in the data center 2. The identifying unit 132 identifies the transition of power consumption in the data center 2 based on the calculated task processing time and the power consumption for each time.

[0051] When the number of CPUs available in each of the multiple data centers 2 is different, the identification unit 132 identifies the amount of power consumption for each of the multiple data centers 2 based on the number of CPUs available in each of the multiple data centers 2 and the processing volume of the requested task.

[0052] The selection unit 133 selects a data center to process the requested task from among the plurality of data centers 2 based on the surplus power amount and power consumption amount of each of the plurality of data centers 2 identified by the identification unit 132.

[0053] Specifically, first, based on area identification information included in the task processing request, the selection unit 133 identifies a data center 2 located in an area corresponding to the area identification information as a nearby data center. The selection unit 133 identifies the mesh code in which the terminal 3 is located, for example, based on the location information of the terminal 3, which is the area identification information included in the task processing request. Then, the selection unit 133 references area range information and identifies the area of ​​the area ID associated with the identified mesh code as the area in which the terminal 3 is located. Then, the selection unit 133 references data center information and identifies the data center 2 associated with the identified area ID as a nearby data center.

[0054] The selection unit 133 selects the nearby data center, which is the data center 2 corresponding to the area identified based on the area identification information included in the task processing request, as the data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption. Also, when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, the selection unit 133 selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task.

[0055] More specifically, the selection unit 133 first calculates the utilization rate of renewable energy when processing the requested task in each of the multiple data centers 2 based on the trends in the amount of surplus power in each of the multiple time periods, which is the amount of surplus power in each of the multiple data centers 2, and the trends in the amount of power consumed in each of the multiple time periods.

[0056] For example, the selection unit 133 calculates the utilization rate of renewable energy in each of the multiple data centers 2 by calculating the ratio of the surplus power amount at each time indicated by the surplus power amount trend to the power consumption amount at each time indicated by the power consumption amount trend for each of the multiple data centers 2 that can be allocated.

[0057] Fig. 5 shows an example of calculating the utilization rate of renewable energy. Fig. 5(a) shows the transition of power consumption, and Fig. 5(b) shows the transition of surplus power. As shown in Fig. 5(c), renewable energy is calculated by calculating the overlap rate between the graph showing the transition of power consumption and the graph showing the transition of surplus power from the processing start time when the processing of the requested task starts to the processing end time when the processing of the requested task ends.

[0058] The selection unit 133 selects the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task when the calculated renewable energy utilization rate for the nearby data center is 100%, i.e., when the surplus power amount indicated by the surplus power amount identified for the nearby data center in each of the multiple time periods is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount for each of the multiple time periods.

[0059] In addition, if the renewable energy utilization rate calculated for the nearby data center is not 100%, i.e., if the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, the selection unit 133 selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task.

[0060] Note that the selection unit 133 has determined that the amount of surplus power identified for a nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumed when the utilization rate of renewable energy calculated for the nearby data center is 100%, but this is not limited thereto, and the amount of surplus power identified for a nearby data center may be determined to be equal to or greater than the amount of power consumed when the utilization rate exceeds a predetermined utilization rate that is lower than 100%.

[0061] When the amount of surplus power corresponding to the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, the selection unit 133 selects a data center other than the nearby data center that is included in a large area that includes the area in which the nearby data center is located as the data center to process the requested task.

[0062] For example, the selection unit 133 refers to the area relation information, identifies a large area including the area where the nearby data center is located, and identifies multiple areas included in the large area.The selection unit 133 then refers to the data center information, and identifies the data centers located in each of the multiple identified areas.

[0063] When the nearby data center is data center 2A and the amount of surplus power corresponding to data center 2A is less than the identified power consumption amount, the selector 133 identifies an area A2 that is different from area A1 and is included in large area LA1 that includes area A1 where data center 2A is located. Then, the selector 133 selects data center 2B located in area A2 as the data center that will process the requested task.

[0064] Furthermore, if there are multiple data centers in the large area other than the nearby data center whose surplus power exceeds their power consumption, the selection unit 133 selects the data center with the largest surplus power among the multiple data centers in the large area other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task. In this way, the information processing device 1 can select the data center 2 in the large area that has a surplus of renewable energy-derived power to process the requested task, among the multiple data centers 2 in the large area, and therefore can more reliably process tasks using power derived from renewable energy.

[0065] Furthermore, the selection unit 133 may select, as the data center to process the requested task, a data center whose surplus power amount is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount and whose surplus power amount is the smallest, from among multiple data centers different from the nearby data center included in the large area. In this way, the information processing device 1 can reserve the data center 2 with a large amount of surplus power, and when it receives a new requested task with a power consumption amount greater than that of the requested task, it can select the reserved data center 2 as the data center to process the new requested task.

[0066] In addition, it may be the case that the amount of surplus power does not exceed the amount of power consumption in all data centers other than the nearby data center included in the large area. In this case, the selection unit 133 selects a data center that is not located in the large area that includes the area of ​​the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task. For example, the selection unit 133 identifies a large area that is included in a wide area that includes the large area that includes the area of ​​the nearby data center but is different from the large area. Then, the selection unit 133 selects, from among the data centers located in areas included in the identified large area, a data center whose amount of surplus power exceeds the amount of power consumption as the data center to process the requested task.

[0067] In addition, when the type information included in the task processing request indicates a type of task that requires a response within a predetermined response time, the selection unit 133 may select a nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task, regardless of whether the amount of surplus power corresponding to the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption.

[0068] In this way, when the type information included in the task processing request indicates a task type that requires a response within a predetermined response time, the information processing device 1 can have the task processed by a data center 2 located near the terminal 3 that made the task processing request. This allows the information processing device 1 to reduce the time required to transmit data required to process the task to the data center 2 and the time required to transmit the task processing results to the data center 2, thereby improving response performance to task requests.

[0069] The instruction unit 134 instructs the data center 2 selected by the selection unit 133 to process the requested task. For example, the instruction unit 134 transmits, to the terminal 3, instruction information for transmitting data to be used in processing the requested task to the data center 2 selected by the selection unit 133. Furthermore, the instruction unit 134 instructs the data center 2 to process the requested task by transmitting instruction information instructing the processing of the requested task. When learning a model, the instruction unit 134 may transmit the model to be learned to the data center 2 selected by the selection unit 133.

[0070] [Processing of information processing device 1 after issuing an instruction to process a requested task] After the data center 2 selected by the selection unit 133 is instructed to process the requested task, the amount of power generated by the power generation device that supplies power to the data center 2 may fall below the expected amount of power generated, and the actual amount of surplus power may fall below the amount of surplus power indicated by the surplus power trend. In response to this, the information processing device 1 can change the data center that processes the requested task. Below, the processing of the information processing device 1 after instructing to process the requested task will be described.

[0071] After an instruction to process a requested task is given, the identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of surplus power corresponding to a specified data center, which is a data center that is instructed to process the requested task. Furthermore, after an instruction to process a requested task is given, the identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of surplus power corresponding to each of a plurality of data centers 2 different from the specified data center.

[0072] If the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the selection unit 133 selects a data center other than the specified data center based on the amount of surplus power from among the multiple data centers 2. For example, the selection unit 133 selects a data center whose amount of surplus power is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold from among the multiple data centers 2 located in a large area including the area in which the specified data center is located. Here, the predetermined threshold may be, for example, an amount of power lower than the amount of power in each time period indicated by the change in the amount of surplus power, and may be determined in advance.

[0073] The instruction unit 134 instructs the instruction data center to change the processing of the requested task from the instruction data center to another data center selected by the selection unit 133. For example, the instruction unit 134 causes the instruction data center to stop processing of the requested task by transmitting instruction information to the instruction data center to stop processing of the requested task. Furthermore, the instruction unit 134 transmits data to be used for unexecuted processing of the requested task to the other data center selected by the selection unit 133, and transmits instruction information to the other data center to instruct processing of the requested task. When the requested task is a task that requires model learning, the instruction unit 134 acquires the model to be learned from the instruction data center and transmits the model to the other data center.

[0074] Before issuing an instruction to change the processing of the requested task, the instruction unit 134 may specify the amount of data to be transferred from the specified data center to another data center, the amount of data to be used for unexecuted processing of the requested task.The selection unit 133 may then specify that the processing of the requested task be changed from the specified data center to the other data center, on the condition that the specified amount of data to be transferred is less than a predetermined amount and the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold.In this way, when the amount of data to be transferred is small and the power consumption associated with the transfer is low, the requested task will be processed at another data center, thereby enabling the information processing device 1 to prevent an increase in power consumption.

[0075] Furthermore, the identifying unit 132 may identify the communication state between the specified data center and another data center selected by the selecting unit 133. In this case, the identifying unit 132 identifies the throughput when transmitting data from the specified data center to another data center as the communication state between the specified data center and another data center selected by the selecting unit 133.

[0076] Then, the instruction unit 134 identifies the transfer time required to transfer the data used to process the requested task from the specified data center to another data center. For example, the instruction unit 134 identifies the transfer time required to transfer the data based on the throughput as the communication state between the specified data center identified by the identification unit 132 and the other data center, and the amount of data used to process the requested task.

[0077] If the identified transfer time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the instruction unit 134 causes the instruction data center to continue processing the requested task without instructing the instruction data center to change the processing of the requested task from the instruction data center to another data center selected by the selection unit 133. In this case, the instruction unit 134 causes the instruction data center to process the requested task using commercial power supplied from a commercial power source. In this way, the information processing device 1 can prevent delays in task processing due to time taken to transfer data.

[0078] Note that, when the amount of surplus power identified by the identifying unit 132 for the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the instructing unit 134 causes another data center whose amount of surplus power is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to process the requested task, but this is not limited to this. When the amount of surplus power identified by the identifying unit 132 for the specified data center is less than the predetermined threshold, the instructing unit 134 may instruct the specified data center to process the requested task using commercial power.

[0079] For example, the instruction unit 134 may instruct the instruction data center to process the requested task using commercial power, provided that the type of the requested task requires a response within a predetermined response time. In this way, when the requested task requires real-time processing, the information processing device 1 can have the data center process the task with priority given to responsiveness.

[0080] [Operation flow] Next, a description will be given of the flow of processing related to the information processing device 1. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing up to when the information processing device 1 instructs the data center 2 to process a requested task. In the flowchart, the data center is abbreviated as DC. First, the receiving unit 131 receives a task processing request from the terminal 3 (S1).

[0081] Next, the identifying unit 132 identifies the amount of surplus power that is the amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of the multiple data centers 2 and the amount of power consumption required to process the requested task corresponding to the task processing request (S2).

[0082] Next, the selection unit 133 identifies a data center close to the terminal 3 that sent the task processing request based on the area identification information included in the task processing request, and determines whether the amount of surplus power of the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption (S3). If the selection unit 133 determines that the amount of surplus power of the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption (YES in S3), the process proceeds to S4, and the selection unit 133 selects the nearby data center as the data center that will process the requested task.

[0083] If the selection unit 133 determines that the amount of surplus power of the nearby data center is less than the amount of power consumption (NO in S3), it proceeds to S5. Then, in S5, the selection unit 133 identifies other data centers located in a large area that includes the area of ​​the nearby data center as nearby data centers, and determines whether the amount of surplus power of the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption. If the selection unit 133 determines that the amount of surplus power of the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption (YES in S5), it proceeds to S6 and selects the nearby data center as the data center that will process the requested task.

[0084] When the selection unit 133 determines that the surplus power of the nearby data center is less than the power consumption (NO in S5), it proceeds to S7 and selects, as the data center to process the requested task, a data center whose surplus power is equal to or greater than the power consumption, from among data centers located in a large area different from the large area including the area of ​​the nearby data center and the nearby data center. Next, the instruction unit 134 instructs the data center 2 selected by the selection unit 133 to process the requested task (S8).

[0085] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, the information processing device 1 is a single computer connected to multiple data centers 2, and the terminal 3 does not transmit data used to process a task to the information processing device 1, but transmits the data to the data center 2 that processes the task in response to instructions from the information processing device 1, but this is not limited to this.

[0086] The information processing device 1 may be realized by distributed computing of multiple computers located in multiple areas or multiple large areas. In this case, the terminal 3 may select a computer functioning as the information processing device 1 located closest to the area in which the terminal 3 is located, and transmit a task processing request and data required to process the task to that computer. Then, in response to the information processing device 1 selecting a data center 2 to process the requested task corresponding to the task processing request, the information processing device 1 may transmit the data received from the terminal 3 to the selected data center 2.

[0087] [Effects of information processing device 1] As described above, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment selects a nearby data center, which is a data center corresponding to an area identified based on area identification information included in a task processing request, as the data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the power consumption of the requested task, which is the task corresponding to the task processing request, and selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified power consumption, and instructs the selected data center to process the requested task. In this way, the information processing device 1 can reduce the power consumption related to the transmission of data necessary to process the task.

[0088] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and resilience."

[0089] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1. Information processing equipment 2 Data Centers 3. Terminal 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Reception 132 Specific part 133 Selection Section 134 Instruction section S Information Processing System

Claims

1. a receiving unit that receives a task processing request that requests processing of a task, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying an area in which a terminal that has requested the task is located; an identifying unit that identifies an amount of surplus power that is surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of a plurality of data centers that are located in each of a plurality of areas and that are capable of processing tasks using power derived from the renewable energy, and an amount of power consumption that is required to process a requested task that is a task corresponding to the task processing request; a selection unit that selects a nearby data center, which is a data center corresponding to an area identified based on area identification information included in the task processing request, as a data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, and that selects a data center other than the nearby data center as a data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption; an instruction unit that instructs the data center selected by the selection unit to process the requested task; An information processing device having the above.

2. when the amount of surplus power corresponding to the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, the selection unit selects a data center that is included in a large area that includes an area in which the nearby data center is located, and is different from the nearby data center, as a data center to process the requested task; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the selection unit selects, as the data center to process the requested task, a data center having the largest amount of surplus power from among a plurality of data centers that are different from the nearby data center and are included in the large area; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. the selection unit selects, from among a plurality of data centers included in the large area that are different from the nearby data center, a data center whose amount of surplus power is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption and whose amount of surplus power is the smallest, as the data center to process the requested task; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. the task processing request includes type information indicating a type of task to be processed, when the type information included in the task processing request indicates a task type that requires a response within a predetermined response time, the selection unit selects the nearby data center as the data center that will process the requested task, regardless of whether the amount of surplus power corresponding to the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumption; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

6. the identifying unit, after receiving an instruction to process the requested task, identifies an amount of surplus power corresponding to an instruction data center that is the data center that has been instructed to process the requested task; when the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the selection unit selects a data center other than the specified data center from among the plurality of data centers based on the amount of surplus power; the instruction unit instructs a change of processing of the requested task from the instruction data center to the other data center selected by the selection unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

7. when the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold, the selection unit selects another data center, different from the specified data center, that is included in a large area that includes the area in which the specified data center is located, and whose amount of surplus power is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold; The information processing device according to claim 6 .

8. the selection unit selects the other data center under the condition that the amount of data to be used in processing the requested task is less than a predetermined amount from the specified data center to the other data center, and the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined amount of power. The information processing device according to claim 6 .

9. the identifying unit identifies a communication state between the instruction data center and the other data center; when a transfer time required to transfer data used in processing the requested task from the instruction data center to the other data center, the transfer time being specified based on the communication state and the amount of data, is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the instruction unit causes the instruction data center to execute processing of the requested task without instructing a change of processing of the requested task from the instruction data center to the other data center selected by the selection unit; The information processing device according to claim 6 .

10. the identifying unit, after receiving an instruction to process the requested task, identifies an amount of surplus power corresponding to an instruction data center that is the data center that has been instructed to process the requested task; the instruction unit instructs the specified data center to process the requested task using commercial power when the amount of surplus power corresponding to the specified data center is less than a predetermined threshold. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

11. the identifying unit identifies the amount of surplus power based on the amount of power generated by renewable energy corresponding to the data center, the amount of power used in the data center, and the amount of stored power from renewable energy corresponding to the data center; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. the identifying unit identifies, as the amount of surplus power, a time transition of an amount of surplus power derived from the renewable energy in each of the plurality of data centers, and identifies, as the amount of power consumption, a time transition of an amount of power consumed to process the requested task; the selection unit selects the nearby data center as a data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power in each of a plurality of time periods indicated by the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the amount of power consumed in each of the plurality of time periods; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

13. The computer executes receiving a task processing request for requesting task processing, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying an area in which a terminal that has requested the task is located; a step of identifying an amount of surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of a plurality of data centers that are located in a plurality of areas and that are capable of processing tasks using power derived from renewable energy, and an amount of power consumption required to process a requested task that is a task corresponding to the task processing request; selecting a nearby data center, which is a data center corresponding to an area identified based on area identification information included in the task processing request, as a data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, and selecting a data center other than the nearby data center as a data center to process the requested task when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption; instructing the selected data center to process the requested task; An information processing method comprising:

14. Computer, a receiving unit that receives a task processing request for requesting task processing, the task processing request including area identification information for identifying an area in which a terminal that has requested the task is located; an identification unit that identifies an amount of surplus power that is surplus power derived from renewable energy in each of a plurality of data centers that are located in a plurality of areas and that can process tasks using power derived from renewable energy, and an amount of power consumption that is required to process a requested task that is a task corresponding to the task processing request; a selection unit that, when the amount of surplus power identified for a nearby data center that is a data center corresponding to an area identified based on area identification information included in the task processing request is equal to or greater than the identified amount of power consumption, selects the nearby data center as the data center that will process the requested task, and, when the amount of surplus power identified for the nearby data center is less than the identified amount of power consumption, selects a data center other than the nearby data center as the data center that will process the requested task; and an instruction unit that instructs the data center selected by the selection unit to process the requested task; A program that functions as a

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