The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a revolution in various sectors, including business. However, this technological advancement comes with a hidden cost – a significant increase in energy consumption and carbon emissions.
AI’s Carbon Footprint
AI applications, especially deep learning models, require intensive computational resources. This demand necessitates the operation of data centers equipped with high-performance servers and cooling systems. The continuous training, inference, and optimization processes associated with AI tasks result in prolonged utilization of server infrastructure, driving up electricity consumption and carbon emissions. The energy demand of AI is predicted to be equivalent to 40 million homes in five years.
Regulations and Scope 3 Emissions
With the proliferation of AI, the environmental impact of AI processing cannot be overlooked. The European Union’s Green Deal includes regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which mandates large companies to disclose their environmental impacts, including carbon emissions generated by supply chain partners, also known as Scope 3 emissions.
Scope 3 emissions encompass indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur throughout a company’s supply chain. For companies relying on AI, a significant portion of Scope 3 emissions originates from data centers and server infrastructure used to support AI applications.
Mitigating AI’s Environmental Impact
Companies must engage with their server suppliers to gain transparency into their energy sources, infrastructure efficiency, and carbon footprint. By conducting lifecycle assessments of server infrastructure, companies can pinpoint inefficiencies and emissions hotspots across the supply chain. Optimization and emission-reduction opportunities can be identified, such as server consolidation, virtualization, and data center efficiency improvements.
In summary, while AI offers immense benefits, it is crucial for businesses to be aware of the environmental impact of their server infrastructure and take steps to manage the Scope 3 emissions they generate. Responsible practices such as engaging with suppliers, optimizing lifecycle processes, and investing in renewable energy can reduce carbon emissions, boost innovation, and create long-term value.
