AI: Good or bad for sustainability?
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As AI’s energy consumption rises, so do sustainability concerns. This report explores why this technology is so power-intensive, how to mitigate its impact and whether it can help reduce emissions. It also examines four possible scenarios for future energy consumption – from unchecked growth to greater efficiency – and their sustainability implications.
Description
Format: PDF filePages: 43Author: Kerina NaranPublication Date: February 2025
The rapid growth of generative AI (GenAI) is driving a surge in energy consumption, challenging industries to balance AI efficiency with sustainability. This report explores AI’s expanding energy footprint, future energy consumption scenarios as well as industry efforts – from renewable integration to cross-sector collaboration – to align AI innovation with net-zero goals.
Table of contents:
- Executive summary
- Recommendations for key stakeholders
- AI and sustainability: A delicate balance
- Introduction
- The energy-consuming reality of AI
- AI’s growing carbon footprint
- How much energy does AI consume?
- The other costs of AI
- AI investment is not slowing down
- Efforts to reduce AI’s environmental impact
- Hyperscalers and data centre operators
- Semiconductor chip manufacturers
- Governments and regulatory bodies
- Future opportunities and emerging technologies
- End-users: Consumers and enterprises
- What does this mean for telecoms?
- How are telcos offsetting AI-driven emissions?
- AI’s expanding energy footprint—what’s next?
- Future energy consumption scenarios
- Conclusion
Technologies and industry terms referenced include: AI, AI adoption, AI models, AI workloads, AI-as-a-service, Airtel, Amazon, AT&T, AWS, China Mobile, Computational power, computing, Consumers, data centres, Deepseek, Deutsche Telekom, Digital Realty, E-waste, edge AI, Elisa, embedded carbon, emissions, energy consumption, energy efficiency, enterprises, Equinix, GenAI, google, governments, GPU, GPUs, Hyperscalers, Inference, Inferencing, KDDI, Liquid cooling, LLMs, Meta, microsoft, net-zero, Nscale, Nuclear energy, nvidia, OpenAI, Orange, Photonics, Power purchase agreements, quantum computing, Radio access networks, Rakuten, RAN, Regulatory frameworks, renewable energy, Reporting, Retrofitting, scope 2, scope 3, Semiconductor manufacturers, Singtel, SK Telecom, skt, SLMs, sustainability, telcos, Telefonica
