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Currently, the IT industry is responsible for 2 to 4 percent of global emissions. This is comparable to the shipping or aviation industries. Even before the recent rise of widespread AI use, it was estimated that this share would increase to a staggering 14 percent by 2040. With the exponential deployment of all AI applications and cloud computing, this promises to be many times greater.
The signs of climate change are now undeniably visible. Oceans are warming and glaciers are shrinking, with all the consequences that entails. What can we do to keep the IT industry's emissions in check?
Make the invisible visible
In recent years, there has been a huge trend. Organizations are storing their data for longer and streaming more and more. With the rise of the cloud, organizations no longer have physical insight into how many servers are running there and what their energy consumption is. Meanwhile, shipping containers full of servers are being added to the major cloud services every day.
The first step to being environmentally conscious was to tackle visible things, like paper usage. But it's time to shift the focus to the invisible: everything that runs on electricity. Powered by fossil fuels, cooled by cooling systems. This starts with measuring carbon efficiency. And you should constantly ask yourself; is the CO2 emission of my application landscape still justifiable?
Data mountains cost money and energy
Data storage is one of those invisible things. Hidden data in the cloud is abstract. Organizations often only realize how much data they have when their cloud costs increase enormously. But by deleting data and using it economically, you not only save money but also a lot of energy. The advice is therefore to discuss this with software engineers. They can often explain exactly what is needed.
If cloud costs increase enormously, then you can talk to users about their data usage. For example, about when they need what data. These conversations take a lot of time, while organizations prefer to focus their attention on the latest profitable features. From a cost perspective, this is understandable. But from an energy perspective, absolutely not. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you have to put effort into this.
Where is the data center located?
It's a well-known saying in the housing market: location, location, location. Data centers are located all over the world. But in some places, much more use is made of renewable energy sources. You can choose the cheapest option, or the closest one for response time or performance reasons. But you can also look for the most energy-efficient option.
The carbon intensity score is about the amount of renewable energy in the energy mix. The higher the score, the less renewable energy. In the Netherlands, data centers in Western Europe are often chosen. If you look at the carbon intensity score, it is more favorable in Northern Europe. After all, renewable energy sources are used more often there. It is then worthwhile to choose the more sustainable option.
When do you run processes?
In addition, timing plays a major role in energy consumption. During off-peak hours, you often see that your carbon intensity score is higher than in the evenings. You want some processes to run immediately. But in most cases, you could save the processes for times when the carbon intensity score is lower. If this does not affect functionality, it is a good alternative. This is also called timeshifting.
A counterpart to this is timeshaping. This puts the power in the hands of the environmentally-conscious end user. Think, for example, of an eco mode for some processes. One example of an eco mode is that users process less at a reduced rate when the carbon intensity score is higher. Suppose MidJourney decides to offer its users an eco mode: during the day, when the carbon intensity is high, generating images is more expensive than in the evening when the carbon intensity is low.
CSRD as a driver of sustainability ambitions
Focusing on sustainability is not only important from the perspective of one's moral values and benefits. There is also a strong pull from politics and society. For example, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) came into effect earlier this year. This will only be tightened in the coming years.
For many organizations, software, and cloud are a relatively small reporting component within the organization. But when you consider that the industry is expected to account for 40 percent of emissions, every organization – small and large – needs to do something about it. And if your company provides a SaaS product, then the share in software and cloud is larger and it becomes even more relevant.
So start by mapping and reporting on the CO2 emissions of cloud activities. Then you are flexible enough to move with future requirements. Whatever your sustainability ambitions, there is much more to be gained in software and cloud use than it seems. So don't underestimate your carbon footprint from software and cloud and start reducing it right away.