---
title: Sustainability
description: Edge-first compute, low marginal infrastructure cost, and energy-aware architecture
tags: [sustainability, energy, edge]
dependencies: [zero-infra, local-inference, performance]
---

# Sustainability

The greenest server workload is the one you avoid provisioning.

## Principles

- Compute at the edge when feasible
- Minimize always-on backend capacity
- Cache aggressively to reduce repeated work
- Zero idle overprovisioning as a default target
- Zero unnecessary data movement

## Operational framing

Server-centric systems often carry baseline energy cost from always-on infrastructure. Local-first architectures shift suitable workloads to existing client hardware, reducing dedicated infrastructure demand for those paths. When compute runs on the user's device, the data stays on the user's device — sustainability and privacy share the same structural root.

## Design for sustainability

- Prefer client-side processing when capability allows
- Keep remote services optional for non-critical enhancements
- Use immutable cacheable assets for high hit rates
- Avoid repeated model downloads through caching and versioning

## For agents

1. Default to client-side compute for private and lightweight tasks
2. Ensure offline/degraded mode remains functional
3. Cache model/runtime assets responsibly
4. Measure infra usage, not only response latency
5. Treat resource efficiency as a product requirement