AI’s transformative power is not only revolutionizing industries but also holds the key to unlocking unprecedented efficiencies and innovative solutions for sustainability. The environmental impact of AI is a critical aspect to understand and reduce, as it is essential to build the foundation for demonstrating its sustainability value to customers.

Measuring the Environmental Impact of AI

Measuring the environmental impact of AI is crucial to understand and reduce its footprint. This involves analyzing the energy consumption of data centers, the production and disposal of AI hardware, and the carbon footprint of AI-driven solutions. Companies must consider the environmental impact of AI from a technological standpoint, but also critically, from an environmental and climate impact perspective.

• Energy consumption of data centers: A typical AI-focused data centre consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, but the largest ones under construction today will consume 20 times as much.
• Emissions from electricity use by data centres grows from 180 million tonnes (Mt) today to 300 Mt in the base case by 2035.
• Emissions from data centers are estimated to be equivalent to the emissions from 180 million cars on the road.

AI’s Potential for Sustainability

AI excels at optimization, prediction, and monitoring. It can analyze satellite imagery and weather patterns to aid in climate change forecasting, improve the management of renewable energy generation, and predict wildfires. AI-powered systems can monitor environmental health, track deforestation, and analyze air and water quality.

1. Agriculture: AI enables precision farming, optimizing water and fertilizer use.
2. Energy sector: AI algorithms can optimize energy consumption in buildings and industrial processes, leading to significant reductions in power usage.
3. Transportation and logistics: AI-driven route optimization minimizes fuel consumption and emissions.

Addressing AI’s Own Footprint

AI’s environmental footprint is substantial. The energy required to train and run increasingly complex AI models is substantial. Datacentres, the backbone of AI infrastructure, consume vast amounts of electricity and water for cooling. The production and disposal of AI hardware contribute to the growing problem of electronic waste.

“The energy required to train and run increasingly complex AI models is substantial. Datacentres, the backbone of AI infrastructure, consume vast amounts of electricity and water for cooling. The production and disposal of AI hardware contribute to the growing problem of electronic waste.”

Cognizant’s Approach to Sustainable AI

Cognizant sustainability services bring together real-world environmental impact, software, and modelling expertise to optimize AI’s impact in managing unprecedented business transformation while keeping our clients’ sustainability ambitions on track. Our services encompass:

• Net Zero Pathways: Helping organizations define and execute strategies to achieve net-zero emissions by utilizing AI for accurate environmental data analysis and optimization.
• Sustainability and ESG Reporting: Automating data collection and enhancing accuracy through AI-powered platforms for sustainability and ESG reporting.
• Sustainable Operations: Utilizing AI-driven digital twins and predictive maintenance to help reduce waste and improve efficiency for sustainable operations.
• Sustainable Products: Guiding clients in developing eco-friendly products and business models, leveraging AI for lifecycle assessments and resource optimization.
• Sustainable Supply Chains: Focusing on using AI to analyze and reduce the environmental impact of products throughout their lifecycle to make sustainable supply chains.
• Sustainable IT: Helping IT departments minimize their carbon footprint through cloud optimization and green application architecture.

Leading the Way Towards a Greener Future

Engineering a sustainable future requires a holistic approach that considers both the potential of AI for environmental good and the environmental impact of AI itself. Companies like Cognizant have a crucial role to play in leading this transformation.