First, most Linux servers don't care about hibernation, so the issue really just happens for desktops/laptops.
Second, there are at least 3 or 4 suspend states that Linux can offer, hibernation happens to be the most efficient one, but downgrading to a slightly less power efficient suspend state that keeps power in the RAM shouldn't make that much difference.
“Shouldn’t make that much difference?” It utterly kills various perfectly reasonable use-cases. Here are a few that I’ve personally experienced and seen others experience:
1. Laptop that can sleep for a week or ten days, and you’re going on holiday for a fortnight and leaving your laptop behind, and don’t want to leave it plugged in unattended (fire hazard) but don’t want to lose your session.
2. You’re off-grid for days on end (e.g. cycling tour with mostly tent camping, which I’ve done several times), and want to be able to use your laptop occasionally without its battery having been drained by being asleep instead of off, and want to keep using the same session.
3. You’re using a device with no battery (desktop computer or laptop with dud battery so that it dies as soon as you unplug it), but you need to move it from point A to point B without losing your session.
These are all straightforward examples where hibernate is essential.
First, most Linux servers don't care about hibernation, so the issue really just happens for desktops/laptops.
Second, there are at least 3 or 4 suspend states that Linux can offer, hibernation happens to be the most efficient one, but downgrading to a slightly less power efficient suspend state that keeps power in the RAM shouldn't make that much difference.
See https://01.org/linuxgraphics/gfx-docs/drm/admin-guide/pm/sle... for more information.