Don't let AI initiatives cancel out sustainability goals

Two of the decade’s defining issues appear to be on a collision course to cancelling each other out.

On the one hand, achieving sustainability goals and reducing power consumption has never been more important. On the other hand, AI has captured the imagination of business leaders — along with the data and energy-intensive infrastructure required to run it.

As AI becomes more pervasive, its carbon footprint could be a major drag on net zero ambitions. These algorithms have ever-increasing demands for data, placing enormous pressure on data centres to keep up.

By 2027, 1.5 million AI server units are expected to ship annually. When running at full capacity, these would consume at least 85.4 terawatt-hours of electricity annually — enough to power approximately 16.5 million Australian households.

While AI and sustainability seem worlds apart, advances in data centre and cloud infrastructure can bring them together. With data consumption increasing exponentially, recent research suggests organisations are starting to realise the significant impact infrastructure modernisation has on their sustainability goals.

According to the 2024 Enterprise Cloud Index, APAC organisations have shifted their focus towards being more data-driven in their approach to sustainability. An impressive three in five organisations said they have modernised their IT infrastructure to improve sustainability.

This trend is not just about reducing carbon footprints or achieving regulatory compliance — though these are massive benefits to any modernisation strategy — it’s also about futureproofing businesses and driving long-term growth.

Addressing energy-intensive IT systems

Modernising IT infrastructure plays a crucial role in reducing an organisation’s environmental impact.

A modern IT infrastructure can improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and promote more sustainable practices. For example, transitioning to cloud-based services from providers who leverage increased efficiency or renewable energy sources can help reduce an organisation’s energy consumption and carbon footprint. Similarly, adopting virtualisation technologies can minimise hardware waste while slashing power consumption.

For example, the University of Canberra reduced its data centre footprint by 78% by implementing virtualisation and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). So much so that the university was able to decommission a backup data centre it had built on campus, reducing its IT carbon footprint.

These benefits are part of the reason HCI is fast becoming the infrastructure of choice for many organisations as they modernise their data centres. It streamlines operations by collapsing compute, storage, networking functions and AI accelerators, reducing hardware footprint and enhancing energy efficiency.

Empowering organisational cultural shifts

While infrastructure modernisation can make a significant impact towards sustainability goals, the key could lie in fostering a culture of sustainability within the organisation. It is not merely a technological endeavour. It requires a cultural shift that prioritises environmental responsibility throughout the organisation.

Leadership plays a crucial role in steering this cultural shift. Leaders must set clear, measurable sustainability goals and demonstrate a consistent commitment to achieving them. The 2024 Enterprise Cloud Index report also found 60% of businesses across the region adopted remote-work initiatives to reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint, while more than half (55%) had committed to reducing waste products.

Organisations that succeed in transforming their technological capabilities and driving a deep-rooted cultural change will not only reduce their environmental footprint but also gain a competitive edge in an increasingly eco-conscious market. By prioritising sustainability at every level of the organisation, right down to the data centre, businesses can drive meaningful change and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Image credit: iStock.com/BlackJack3D