The promise of AI is at risk if sustainability isn’t a key consideration in 2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been thrown into the public eye in the past few years, and the use cases are endless, bringing huge gains across industries. From detecting cancers earlier than traditional screening methods to helping to decode ancient manuscripts, its potential and impact are growing by the day. Whether this innovation is being progressed via a supercomputer, edge computing methods or a traditional data centre, around the world society is feeling the positive effect of advances in the AI industry.

Concerns around the environmental impact of this innovation have been raised for decades, but now they are picking up pace, especially around the energy consumption associated with the increased processing power required by larger systems in order to operate. The United Nations (UN) Environment Programme recently expressed concerns about rising levels of e-waste and cooling considerations for data centres more specifically. This has been echoed with similar concerns from academia concerning the carbon footprint of such innovation. In tandem with this, governments globally are implementing new regulations and reporting requirements as part of initiatives to curb the impact of climate change, such as the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) or the UK’s Net Zero goals. This has caused Gartner to name energy-efficient computing as a top technology trend for 2025, as organisations come under increasing pressure to show they are considering the impact AI is having on the environment.

Businesses that are not taking sustainability into account as part of their AI infrastructure and technology strategies are at risk of stunting innovation. Aside from the regulatory risks, failing to implement sustainable practices can cause reputational damage, as organisations may be perceived as ‘falling behind’ in an increasingly sustainability-focused world. Take the example of e-waste from the UN Environmental Programme, if organisations are found to be not properly recycling e-waste (such as with our Global Take Back Service), they could face public scrutiny from potential customers and lose business.

To avoid slipping behind competitors, businesses must consider building sustainable AI frameworks that support operational efficiency. Prioritising the implementation of technologies that minimise energy consumption will not only support regulatory compliance and help to meet greater sustainability goals but can future-proof against market volatility as well as strengthen brand reputation in an increasingly environmentally-conscious world.

For example, many of the offerings on the market today are able to balance sustainability efforts, with high processing capabilities. At ASUS we have taken this step by partnering with Intel to provide servers that prioritise energy efficiency. Alongside technology itself being efficient, businesses can evaluate where it may be possible to deploy AI models on edge devices in order to reduce the need for data transmission to centralised servers, as this can be energy-intensive. These are just two routes businesses can build into a sustainability framework to galvanise environmental initiatives within the organisation.

Taking that first step and considering a strategy to implement technologies that balance regulatory pressures, customer expectations and overall business goals will help businesses feel confident innovation won’t come at a cost to the environment. This can then be communicated to customers and partners, demonstrating the commitment the organisation has made to prioritise sustainability.

This is also echoed by IDC, who have released predictions for the technology industry in 2025, outlining; “To address the environmental challenges of harnessing AI’s benefits, enterprises are turning to Sustainable AI Frameworks that focus on minimising the environmental impact of artificial intelligence by addressing key elements such as energy efficiency, resource optimisation and e-waste reduction.”

Innovation and market pressure alike will increase over the next 12 months, separating the businesses that survive or thrive. Those who embed sustainability into their AI strategies will lead the way.