Do you realize that transitioning to sustainable technology is now a necessity that will protect our world, not just a niche endeavor? Therefore, even if 2025 is approaching, the combination of information technology (IT) and environmental sustainability provides a toolkit and a path to handle resource depletion and climate change.
Accordingly, it is crucial that you understand sustainable development since it will enable you to stay informed about everything and lessen the impact on the environment. To help you understand how sustainable technology is changing the IT landscape and how artificial intelligence is evolving in energy management, we have created this blog.
But before knowing about how it is possible, let’s have a look and know why sustainability is necessary in IT:
Necessity of Sustainability in IT
IT is simply one of those areas where technology may have an impact on practically every facet of contemporary life, from healthcare and education to economics and entertainment. However, there is a cost to this ubiquity. Similar to the aviation sector, the IT sector produces between 2 and 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the growing need for data and computer power is driving up energy consumption. IT firms are facing increasing pressure to lower their carbon footprints as governments and corporations worldwide pledge to do so. By 2025, sustainable technology will mean much more than just adhering to legal requirements; it will represent progressive, all-encompassing by-design strategies that take into account the effects on the economy, society, and environment.
For further assistance and information, let’s examine how sustainability technology is assisting IT in changing it:
Technology is enabling this by concentrating on and improving a number of areas, some of which we will go over below to help you become better acquainted with:
1. By focusing on Energy-Efficient Data Centers
With servers for storing, processing, and disseminating massive volumes of data, data centers are the hub of the IT sector. They do, however, have the regrettable side consequence of producing too much heat and energy. It is projected that data centers would account for up to 20% of global electrical energy consumption by 2025. Since a single data center has such a broad environmental impact, energy-efficient data centers are essential to sustainable IT.
Cooling Innovations: The days when a conventional air-based cooling system was thought to be the best option are long gone. Since then, liquid cooling systems have gained popularity due to their improved turbulence control, scalability, and efficiency. By using water or other liquids to directly cool the servers, they lower the energy used for air conditioning. By 2025, immersion cooling—in which servers are completely submerged in non-conductive coolants—should improve efficiency and drastically reduce operating expenses and energy usage.
Renewable energy resources: To power all of their centers, a number of data center operators are switching to renewable electricity. Before 2025, the majority of the electricity in large data centers is anticipated to be generated by wind, solar, or hydroelectric power, according to Hill’s October 2023 report. Companies like Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), and Microsoft (MSFT) are setting the norm for clean electricity transparency by switching to 100% renewable energy, and others will soon follow.
AI-Based Energy Management: use artificial intelligence to reduce data center energy usage. Because AI algorithms can anticipate power usage in advance and take appropriate action to lower it, they can cut waste. By 2025, AI is expected to be a key component of energy management due to its function in controlling cooling and power throughout the data center. The technology can probably cut power consumption effectiveness (PUE) by record amounts.
2. Focus on Maintaining Green Cloud Computing
One of the biggest shifts in business is cloud computing, which makes it possible to work from any location, integrate a scalable solution to carry out daily operations close to—or even far from—your office location, and store data without investing thousands of dollars in infrastructure. However, considering the energy-intensive data centers that support it, this ostensibly green cloud computing comes with a price in terms of the environment. Sustainable methods will also be required as cloud utilization rises.
Serverless architectures: The issue of idle time is resolved by serverless computing, which distributes resources to consumers only when required! In 2025, serverless architectures will be more widely used since cloud providers can better optimize resource emissions and reduce energy loss.
Edge Computing: An approach that is fairly likely to be used is edge computing, which treats data closer to its source rather than requiring it to travel hundreds of kilometers to and from centralized hubs. This lessens the need for data transit across large distances, which is time-consuming and power-intensive. By 2025, edge computing will be widely used and will drastically change a number of industries, including telemedicine, autonomous driving, medical image processing, and the Internet of Things.
Green Cloud Initiatives: Top cloud service providers are prioritizing “green cloud” initiatives. For example, Microsoft is working towards being carbon negative by 2030, which means not only reducing emissions but also actually removing past emissions from the atmosphere. In 2025, green cloud certifications will start serving as a differentiator for the business to choose between environmentally friendly cloud services.
3. Keeping a Keen Eye on Managing Sustainable Hardware and the Circular Economy
The concept of a circular economy, which involves designing things to be recycled, refurbished, or reused, is gaining traction in the IT industry. Since only a very small portion of e-waste, the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, is successfully recycled, the humane design of sustainable technology is equally important.
Recyclables: Manufacturers of IT hardware are probably going to use more recyclable materials in their manufacturing process in 2025. Companies that use recycled aluminum, rare earth elements, and plastic in their products, like Apple, are already ahead of the curve. Recyclable material eliminates the need for virgin resources by allowing obsolete devices to be recycled and used in new products.
Modular designs: These make it possible to upgrade or replace a device’s hardware without having to discard the entire thing. This approach extends the life of the gear while reducing e-waste. In 2025, modular designs will most likely be the standard for desktops, laptops, and, of course, some cellphones.
Product Take-Back Programs: To encourage consumers to return unwanted gadgets, a number of IT companies have implemented product buyback and take-back initiatives. These initiatives correctly dispose of waste while recovering valuable materials. By 2025, these initiatives will be widespread, and more laws requiring manufacturers to handle end-of-life products will have been adopted.
Concluding Statement
In summary, the IT industry’s transition to sustainable technology necessitates dedication, creativity, and teamwork. Adopting sustainable practices and progressive management strategies will put you in a position to benefit from major improvements in the IT sector as 2025 approaches.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like any information about sustainable IT technologies. We at Tekki Web Solutions are here to help you every step of the way so you’re prepared to take full advantage of 2025. Get in touch with us right now to find out how we can assist you in changing your IT plans for a more sustainable future.
