Decentralised News · Editorial by Heath Muchena · Evidence reviewed 12 November 2026 · Edition 1.0
What Matters
A GPU leaving an AI fleet has not necessarily become waste, been reused or reached a recycler’s final process. Those are different outcomes. DN’s Hardware Exit Mass Balance separates device destinations from downstream material results, exposes missing units and preserves unknown mass. It helps an operator test a disposal claim without turning a collection receipt into proof of completed recycling.
Evidence Block
Evidence reviewed: 12 November 2026. Sources include ITU/UNITAR, the current ITU-T L.1037 text, the US EPA, NIST and NVIDIA’s system documentation. No fleet, processor or shipment was independently audited. The numerical example is constructed. Global electronic-waste statistics cover much more than AI hardware; this article does not estimate an agent-specific waste total, avoided emissions or a live recycling rate.
The procurement spreadsheet can show exactly when new accelerators arrive while the old fleet disappears into a single line: “disposed of.” That line may cover resale, internal redeployment, a warehouse, a recycling contractor and devices whose destination nobody has reconciled. A financial write-off closes an accounting question. It does not close the physical one.
The useful question is therefore not simply how much hardware was retired. It is where each unit went, what boundary a mass figure describes, and which outcomes remain unconfirmed. An operator can answer those questions for a defined cohort without pretending to measure the environmental footprint of the entire AI industry.
Claim versus real data: what does the receipt actually prove?
The Global E-waste Monitor 2024 reports 62 million tonnes of electronic waste generated worldwide in 2022, with 22.3% documented as formally collected and recycled. Those figures describe a global, broad equipment category and a historical year. They cannot be multiplied by an arbitrary AI market share to produce a current GPU waste total. Source: ITU/UNITAR Global E-waste Monitor 2024.
| Claim | Evidence needed | What remains open |
|---|---|---|
| The fleet retired 100 units | A defined cohort and removal record | Where the units went |
| Forty units went to a recycler | A matched handoff and receiving record | What the processor recovered or discarded |
| Twenty-five units were reused | A stated reuse destination and supporting acceptance record | Condition, remaining service and later retirement |
| The processor recovered 80% by mass | Compatible received, recovered and residual mass boundaries | Whether that result represents this fleet or a pooled batch |
These are questions for a reconciliation, not scores for a sustainability league table. A well-documented handoff is useful evidence of custody. It should retain that precise description until the downstream result arrives.
Start by deciding what one unit means
A bare accelerator, an accelerator tray and a complete server are not interchangeable counting units. NVIDIA’s DGX H100/H200 documentation describes an eight-GPU system with other components, including CPUs, storage and power supplies. Its stated maximum system weight is 130.45 kg. That is a system specification, not the weight of one GPU. Source: NVIDIA DGX H100/H200 user guide.
Write the cohort definition before entering a number: for example, “100 complete servers removed from service during the quarter,” or “100 accelerator cards removed during a particular upgrade.” Keep accessories, packaging, cables and replacement parts inside or outside that boundary consistently. A measured shipment weight can include items missing from the fleet count.
If the cohort mixes hardware types, split it into separate records or supply a documented average weight. The tool’s optional kilograms-per-unit field is explicitly an assumption. It converts counts into modeled mass; it cannot transform a product specification into a scale reading. Leaving it blank preserves useful device accounting while withholding the mass estimate.
The reporting cut-off matters too. Use one date and one rule for the first stage. A unit moved internally, then sold before the cut-off, belongs in the final selected destination for that stage, not in both rows. Keep the movement history elsewhere if it is needed for custody review.
Use two stages so the same material is not counted twice
The first stage assigns each retired device once: internal reuse, external reuse, recycler handoff, other final disposal, or storage. Any difference between the cohort and those assignments remains unassigned. These are DN’s operational worksheet categories; they are not a legal waste classification or a reproduction of every standards definition.
The second stage follows the subset sent to a processor. It records received kilograms, reported recovered material and reported residue within a stated processor boundary. Any remaining mass is unreconciled. That remainder is not automatically pollution, fraud or recovered material; it is a question that the supplied statement has not resolved.
ITU-T L.1037 addresses environmentally sound e-waste management across collection, transport, storage and processing. The current complete text includes its July 2026 corrigendum and discusses traceable records and weighing. DN’s separation of handoff and processing uses that distinction to keep custody evidence apart from material outcomes. Source: ITU-T L.1037, current corrigendum and complete text.
Do not add the processor’s recovered kilograms to the modeled kilograms handed over. They refer to overlapping physical material at different points in the chain. Equally, do not add a server’s full mass to the mass of its separately counted cards unless the boundary deliberately excludes those cards from the server figure.
Run the DN Hardware Exit Mass Balance
DN Hardware Exit Mass Balance
Enter one defined retired cohort. First-stage destinations must be mutually exclusive. Processor kilograms are a separate, overlapping stage and are never added to device-stage mass.
Version 1.0 · Source review 12 November 2026. No live data, independent verification, account connection or upload. Tool calculations run locally and make no external requests.
Enter a scenario or load the constructed example.
Displayed values are rounded; the JSON export retains calculation precision. The creation timestamp is not an evidence-verification timestamp. Any input edit invalidates the previous result. Keep personal information and private documents out of this worksheet.
The calculator accepts counts for a defined cohort, an optional weight assumption and an optional processor mass statement. All entries are user supplied. It calculates arithmetic consistency, exposes unassigned devices and unreconciled material, and keeps the two stages separate. A complete form does not mean the underlying evidence has been independently checked.
Constructed example: an operator retires 100 units. Twenty go to internal reuse, 25 to external reuse, 40 to a recycler and ten to storage. None is entered under other final disposal. The tool reports 95 assigned units, five unassigned units and 45 units entered as reused. Those 45 represent 45% of this cohort by count; they are not a verified environmental benefit.
Assume 12 kg per unit solely for illustration. Modeled cohort mass is 1,200 kg and modeled recycler-handoff mass is 480 kg. A separate processor statement reports receiving 400 kg, recovering 320 kg and leaving 60 kg of residue. The processor stage therefore leaves 20 kg unreconciled and shows an 80% reported recovered fraction of its 400 kg boundary.
The 480 kg estimate and 400 kg receiving figure remain different. The tool flags the difference rather than forcing them to balance. Possible explanations require evidence: a different unit definition, packaging exclusions, an incomplete shipment or a processor statement covering only part of the cohort. Selecting an explanation without supporting records would replace one gap with an invention.
Change the processor setting to unknown and its recovery calculation disappears. The forty-device handoff remains visible. This makes the record useful before all downstream information has arrived, without presenting a missing result as zero.
A reuse destination needs an outcome, not just a buyer
A sales invoice establishes a transaction under its terms. It does not by itself establish that every device passed testing or entered another period of productive use. Decide what the reuse row means in your own process and retain the supporting acceptance evidence. Separate devices sold for parts from complete systems accepted for another deployment if that difference changes the claim.
For internal reuse, record the receiving function, intended workload and acceptance date in the controlled asset system. For external reuse, ask for the relevant destination and condition documentation. The public calculator only needs a cohort alias and quantities; it is not the place to upload customer names, serial-number inventories or confidential purchase documents.
A practical procurement agreement can also define what happens after a failed acceptance test. Does the seller receive the device back, does the buyer arrange a second disposition, or does the device remain in limbo? Without that rule, “sold for reuse” can remain an intention long after the commercial transaction closes.
Storage should stay visible for the same reason. A warehouse can be a sensible temporary destination, but it does not answer the eventual reuse or material question. Give stored devices a review date and responsible function outside the calculator. A rising storage balance is a useful operational signal even when it carries no environmental rating.
Processor certification and data sanitization answer different questions
The US EPA recommends certified electronics recyclers and identifies the R2 and e-Stewards certification programs. Such certification is relevant when selecting a processor. It is not a substitute for a receipt and downstream evidence tied to a particular cohort; that is a narrower, transaction-specific question. Source: EPA certified electronics recyclers.
Ask which facility and activities the current certification covers, which subcontractors handle the material, and which document will explain the reported recovery boundary. If a processor combines several customers’ material, request the allocation method before treating a pooled result as a direct measurement of your devices.
Data protection needs a separate closure. NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2, finalized in September 2025, provides guidance for media-sanitization programs. A hardware transfer or recycling certificate alone does not demonstrate that the relevant data-bearing media were sanitized under an appropriate process. Source: NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2.
Review storage and other data-bearing components within the actual equipment boundary. Do not assume a GPU label describes every component in the shipment. Keep sanitization evidence in the controlled disposition process and link it through an internal reference; the mass calculator neither performs sanitization nor certifies its success.
Connect the physical exit to the financial exit
DN’s analysis of hardware life and financing duration asks whether an asset remains economically useful for as long as its funding obligations. This article starts at a different point: what happens physically when the operator removes it. A residual-value assumption is not evidence of a completed sale, and a completed sale is not a material recovery result.
Bring finance, operations and the receiving contractor to the same cohort reference. Finance can reconcile proceeds and fees. Operations can reconcile devices. The processor can explain kilograms and destinations. Each retains its own units and definitions. A common reference allows comparison without forcing all three records into one misleading percentage.
Similarly, a renewable-electricity claim does not settle a hardware-disposition claim. DN’s green-compute electricity evidence record addresses a separate operating boundary. A credible lifecycle discussion needs both questions to remain visible rather than allowing an electricity certificate to stand in for a device outcome.
Methodology and limitations
Device assignments must be non-negative whole numbers and cannot exceed the retired cohort. Modeled mass equals an entered count multiplied by the optional weight assumption. In the processor stage, recovered mass plus residue cannot exceed received mass. The displayed fraction is recovered kilograms divided by received kilograms, confined to that processor statement.
The tool does not infer useful life, legal waste status, export permission, commodity value or avoided carbon. It does not treat an unknown processor outcome as a failed outcome. Different destinations may also carry different legal requirements; a worksheet category does not authorize a shipment. Any such determination needs the applicable jurisdiction, equipment condition and transaction facts.
JSON exports preserve the version, inputs, boundaries and unresolved issues. Their creation timestamp records when the scenario was generated, not when receipts were verified. Editing any input invalidates the old result. No account, wallet connection, network request or document upload is needed by the local instrument.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does retiring a GPU mean it became electronic waste?
No. Retirement from a particular fleet is an operational event. Reuse, storage and any legal waste determination require additional facts. The tool records destinations without making that legal determination.
Why can the processor weight differ from count times unit weight?
One is a receiving figure and the other may be an estimate. Check cohort coverage, included components and weighing boundaries. The tool retains both rather than deciding which is correct.
Is an 80% processor recovery fraction a fleet recycling rate?
No. It describes the entered processor received-mass boundary. It says nothing by itself about units sent elsewhere, downstream material quality or the entire fleet.
What should happen when the final receipt is missing?
Keep the handoff, label the material outcome unknown and request the missing statement. The first-stage reconciliation remains useful while the second-stage evidence is incomplete.
Corrections and change log
Send corrections with the cohort definition, source document, affected boundary and passage to press@decentralised.news. 12 November 2026, version 1.0: introduced a two-stage device and material reconciliation, a constructed example and explicit unknown outcomes. No fleet audit, global GPU waste estimate or environmental certification is claimed.
Published schema and illustrative record
The schema documents this instrument’s JSON format. The example below contains constructed illustrative inputs and outputs; it is not a provider measurement, verified case or live dataset. The instrument above creates a separate record from the inputs you choose. These resources do not establish an API or an automatic monitoring service.
JSON Schema — dn.hardware-exit-mass-balance.v1
Schema version 1.0.0. The schema identifier is a versioned reference, not an asserted network endpoint.
{
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"$id": "urn:dn:hardware-exit-mass-balance:v1",
"title": "DN Hardware Exit Mass Balance Record",
"description": "An offline user-supplied scenario, not independently verified measurements or a legal conclusion. Conditional arithmetic invariants are enforced by logic.js and tested separately.",
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
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"instrument",
"sourceReviewDate",
"recordCreatedAt",
"evidenceVerifiedAt",
"inputBasis",
"externalRequestsMadeByTool",
"inputs",
"deviceStage",
"processorStage",
"unresolvedIssues",
"limitations",
"sourceRefs"
],
"properties": {
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"instrument": {
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},
"sourceReviewDate": {
"const": "2026-11-12"
},
"recordCreatedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"pattern": "^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}T\\d{2}:\\d{2}:\\d{2}\\.\\d{3}Z$"
},
"evidenceVerifiedAt": {
"const": null
},
"inputBasis": {
"const": "user_supplied_scenario"
},
"externalRequestsMadeByTool": {
"const": false
},
"inputs": {
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"cohortAlias",
"retiredUnits",
"internalReuseUnits",
"externalReuseUnits",
"recyclerHandoffUnits",
"otherFinalDisposalUnits",
"storageUnits",
"kgPerUnit",
"recyclerMassMode",
"receivedKg",
"recoveredKg",
"residueKg"
],
"properties": {
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"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"maxLength": 64
},
"retiredUnits": {
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"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"internalReuseUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"externalReuseUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"recyclerHandoffUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"otherFinalDisposalUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"storageUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"kgPerUnit": {
"anyOf": [
{
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"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000,
"exclusiveMinimum": 0
},
{
"type": "null"
}
]
},
"recyclerMassMode": {
"type": "string",
"enum": [
"unknown",
"available"
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},
"receivedKg": {
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{
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"exclusiveMinimum": 0
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{
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"recoveredKg": {
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{
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},
{
"type": "null"
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},
"residueKg": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
{
"type": "null"
}
]
}
}
},
"deviceStage": {
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"assignedUnits",
"unassignedUnits",
"reusedUnits",
"reportedReuseUnitSharePct",
"modeledDeviceMass"
],
"properties": {
"assignedUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"unassignedUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"reusedUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000
},
"reportedReuseUnitSharePct": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 100
},
"modeledDeviceMass": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"cohortKg",
"assumptionKgPerUnit",
"destinationsKg"
],
"properties": {
"cohortKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"assumptionKgPerUnit": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000,
"exclusiveMinimum": 0
},
"destinationsKg": {
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"internalReuseKg",
"externalReuseKg",
"recyclerHandoffKg",
"otherFinalDisposalKg",
"storageKg",
"unassignedKg"
],
"properties": {
"internalReuseKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"externalReuseKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"recyclerHandoffKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"otherFinalDisposalKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"storageKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"unassignedKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
}
}
}
}
},
{
"type": "null"
}
]
}
}
},
"processorStage": {
"anyOf": [
{
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"receivedKg",
"recoveredKg",
"residueKg",
"unreconciledKg",
"reportedRecoveryFractionPct"
],
"properties": {
"receivedKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000,
"exclusiveMinimum": 0
},
"recoveredKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"residueKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"unreconciledKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"reportedRecoveryFractionPct": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 100
}
}
},
{
"type": "null"
}
]
},
"unresolvedIssues": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"limitations": {
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "string"
},
"minItems": 4,
"maxItems": 5
},
"sourceRefs": {
"const": [
"GEM2024",
"ITU-L1037-2026",
"EPA-RECYCLERS",
"DGX-H100-H200",
"NIST-88-R2"
]
}
},
"allOf": [
{
"if": {
"properties": {
"inputs": {
"properties": {
"recyclerMassMode": {
"const": "unknown"
}
}
}
}
},
"then": {
"properties": {
"processorStage": {
"const": null
},
"inputs": {
"properties": {
"receivedKg": {
"const": null
},
"recoveredKg": {
"const": null
},
"residueKg": {
"const": null
}
}
}
}
},
"else": {
"properties": {
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"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"receivedKg",
"recoveredKg",
"residueKg",
"unreconciledKg",
"reportedRecoveryFractionPct"
],
"properties": {
"receivedKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000,
"exclusiveMinimum": 0
},
"recoveredKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"residueKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"unreconciledKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"reportedRecoveryFractionPct": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 100
}
}
},
"inputs": {
"properties": {
"receivedKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000,
"exclusiveMinimum": 0
},
"recoveredKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"residueKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
}
}
}
}
}
},
{
"if": {
"properties": {
"inputs": {
"properties": {
"kgPerUnit": {
"const": null
}
}
}
}
},
"then": {
"properties": {
"deviceStage": {
"properties": {
"modeledDeviceMass": {
"const": null
}
}
}
}
},
"else": {
"properties": {
"deviceStage": {
"properties": {
"modeledDeviceMass": {
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"cohortKg",
"assumptionKgPerUnit",
"destinationsKg"
],
"properties": {
"cohortKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"assumptionKgPerUnit": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000,
"exclusiveMinimum": 0
},
"destinationsKg": {
"type": "object",
"additionalProperties": false,
"required": [
"internalReuseKg",
"externalReuseKg",
"recyclerHandoffKg",
"otherFinalDisposalKg",
"storageKg",
"unassignedKg"
],
"properties": {
"internalReuseKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"externalReuseKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"recyclerHandoffKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"otherFinalDisposalKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"storageKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
},
"unassignedKg": {
"type": "number",
"minimum": 0,
"maximum": 1000000000000
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
]
}Illustrative example JSON record
This fixed example is published for inspection and integration testing. Its record timestamp is not an evidence-verification timestamp.
{
"schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
"instrument": "dn.hardware-exit-mass-balance",
"sourceReviewDate": "2026-11-12",
"recordCreatedAt": "2026-11-12T12:00:00.000Z",
"evidenceVerifiedAt": null,
"inputBasis": "user_supplied_scenario",
"externalRequestsMadeByTool": false,
"inputs": {
"cohortAlias": "Illustrative cohort A",
"retiredUnits": 100,
"internalReuseUnits": 20,
"externalReuseUnits": 25,
"recyclerHandoffUnits": 40,
"otherFinalDisposalUnits": 0,
"storageUnits": 10,
"kgPerUnit": 12,
"recyclerMassMode": "available",
"receivedKg": 400,
"recoveredKg": 320,
"residueKg": 60
},
"deviceStage": {
"assignedUnits": 95,
"unassignedUnits": 5,
"reusedUnits": 45,
"reportedReuseUnitSharePct": 45,
"modeledDeviceMass": {
"cohortKg": 1200,
"assumptionKgPerUnit": 12,
"destinationsKg": {
"internalReuseKg": 240,
"externalReuseKg": 300,
"recyclerHandoffKg": 480,
"otherFinalDisposalKg": 0,
"storageKg": 120,
"unassignedKg": 60
}
}
},
"processorStage": {
"receivedKg": 400,
"recoveredKg": 320,
"residueKg": 60,
"unreconciledKg": 20,
"reportedRecoveryFractionPct": 80
},
"unresolvedIssues": [
"5 device(s) have no assigned destination in this scenario.",
"Storage is an unresolved exit outcome, not completed reuse or recycling.",
"The processor mass statement leaves 20 kg unreconciled.",
"Modeled handoff mass and processor received mass differ. Their measurement boundaries must be reconciled; neither value is replaced automatically."
],
"limitations": [
"All destinations and masses are user supplied; DN has not verified receipts or device condition.",
"The device and processor stages overlap physically and must never be added as separate material totals.",
"A processor recovery fraction describes the entered received-mass boundary, not a fleet recycling rate or environmental benefit.",
"The record does not classify legal waste, certify sanitization, authorize export or calculate avoided carbon."
],
"sourceRefs": [
"GEM2024",
"ITU-L1037-2026",
"EPA-RECYCLERS",
"DGX-H100-H200",
"NIST-88-R2"
]
}
