Sustainable ICT: Green Data Centres and the Power of Analytics

In 2025, the global data centre industry reached nearly US$90 billion, driven by explosive growth in artificial intelligence, cloud adoption, and digital infrastructure. Data centres now consume about 1% of global electricity, with AI workloads pushing this figure beyond 340 terawatt-hours annually. These numbers highlight a crucial truth: technology runs on energy, and how efficiently that energy is managed will determine the sustainability of the ICT sector.  

The Green Imperative in ICT 

ICT has been a catalyst for innovation for over a decade while silently contributing to global carbon emissions. Data centres and network infrastructure are energy-intensive, accounting for roughly 0.5% of worldwide CO₂ output. With AI adoption accelerating, data centre energy consumption is projected to double by 2030. As a result, sustainability is now a strategic priority rather than a corporate afterthought.  

Global enterprises such as Google, Unilever, and Microsoft lead by example. Google aims to halve its emissions by 2030, while Microsoft’s partnerships for nuclear energy projects underline how serious the commitment to carbon-neutral ICT infrastructure has become.   

The Rise of Green Data Centres 

Green data centres represent a turning point in ICT infrastructure, focusing on sustainability through design, efficiency, and innovation. The global green data centre market is valued at approximately US$90 billion in 2025 and is expected to exceed US$300 billion by 2035, growing at 13–18% annually.  

Supportive government policies, ESG frameworks, and private investment have all contributed to this transformation. Across the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia, renewable energy incentives and carbon credits are driving new construction based on low-impact design principles such as modularisation, liquid cooling systems, and AI optimisation. 

Energy Efficiency Meets AI Analytics  

Efficiency in sustainable ICT goes beyond switching to renewable power. The foundation of the next generation of data centres lies in analytics. By integrating AI-driven analytics, facility managers can continuously monitor and optimise power allocation, server utilisation, and cooling loads. 

These analytical systems: 

• Predict energy peaks and thermal stress to prevent overheating. 

• Balance renewable and grid energy consumption in real time. 

• Automatically shift workloads based on performance and cost models. 

This approach can cut energy waste by up to 20% and extend the operational lifespan of servers, which also mitigates e-waste. 

Liquid Cooling and Modular Design 

Cooling systems remain one of the most significant sources of inefficiency in traditional data centres, often consuming 35 to 40% of total power. Liquid and immersion cooling technologies are changing that landscape. By circulating dielectric fluids across heat-generating components, these systems remove significantly more heat than air-based cooling. 

In parallel, modular data centres allow organisations to expand operations incrementally, aligning energy consumption with actual demand. This flexibility ensures that sustainability scales seamlessly with performance.   

Renewable Integration and Grid Optimisation 

Sustainability in ICT cannot be isolated from broader energy systems. Green data centres increasingly source power directly through renewable energy purchase agreements. Solar, wind, and small-scale nuclear power are now central components of these power strategies.  

Battery energy storage adds resilience, allowing data centres to store excess renewable energy during off-peak hours and feed power back to local grids. Advanced analytics further enable these facilities to act as flexible grid participants, helping stabilise renewable-heavy networks. 

From Compliance to Strategy 

What began as a compliance issue for corporate social responsibility reports has evolved into a strategic differentiator. ICT sustainability metrics have become mandatory disclosures with instruments such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and similar mandates in other regions.  

Organisations that transparently track and report emissions, energy intensity, and efficiency find that sustainability builds investor confidence. Financing structures such as green bonds and sustainability-linked loans are now integral tools for digital infrastructure expansion. 

The Role of Data in Sustainability 

In sustainable ICT, analytics drive operational efficiency and measure progress. Modern infrastructure integrates sustainability dashboards to track metrics such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE). 

For example, leading cloud providers like Meta and AWS have achieved PUE levels as low as 1.1, compared to an industry average near 1.6. Google reported a trailing-twelve-month PUE of 1.09 for Q1 2025 across its global fleet, demonstrating that best-in-class levels are possible at hyperscale even as AI drives density. These data-driven insights guide continuous improvement, allowing organisations to align technical performance with environmental stewardship. 

Leading Examples in Sustainable ICT 

Innovative organisations worldwide are demonstrating bold approaches to ICT sustainability, turning vision into measurable impact. These case studies reveal how analytics, AI, and strategic infrastructure choices are reshaping the future of green data centres and digital operations. 

• Google: The Carbon-Free Moonshot and DeepMind AI Google’s “moonshot” ambition is to operate its global business on entirely carbon-free energy by 2030. By 2025, Google’s data centres had already met more than two-thirds of their electricity needs with renewables. In addition, Google leverages DeepMind’s artificial intelligence for real-time cooling management. 
  

  This solution analyses thousands of sensors and operational data points, delivering a 40% reduction in cooling energy for select data centres. The system continuously learns and adjusts, ensuring maximum operational efficiency with minimal environmental impact. 

  
  

• Hitachi and Gijima: AI-Optimised Infrastructure Hitachi’s commitment to collaborative innovation is exemplified by its project with Gijima, a South African ICT provider. By replacing traditional spinning disk storage with all-flash arrays and deploying AI-driven resource management tools, Gijima reduced its data centre footprint by 66%. The move also cut power consumption and cooling needs significantly. Hitachi’s “data centre of the future” blueprint demonstrates how integrating smart grids, advanced data storage, and green coding can deliver both sustainability and scalable performance. 

• MIT Lincoln Laboratory: Sustainable AI Supercomputing With the rapid expansion of AI workloads, MIT’s Supercomputing Centre set out to curb energy use by upgrading hardware, optimising data centre layouts, and developing more energy-efficient algorithms for AI training. These initiatives led to reduced carbon emissions despite growing computational demands. MIT’s approach highlights how continuous improvement and sustainable engineering can balance technological ambition with environmental responsibility. 
  

• Rochester Institute of Technology: Modular Green Data Centre 

  The Rochester Institute of Technology’s green data centre design incorporates scalable energy-efficient systems and advanced automation, allowing for dynamic adjustment of cooling, server allocation, and power consumption as demand fluctuates. By leveraging solar and other renewable sources through its central plant upgrades, RIT’s green data centres have surpassed 15% energy savings across campus since 2020, moving toward even greater reductions by extending virtualisation and load-sharing best practices.  The project’s success demonstrates the practical value of analytics and modular design in balancing sustainability with scalability. 
  

Conclusion: The Road to a Smarter, Cleaner ICT Future 

The evolution of ICT toward sustainability is no longer a matter of compliance or public relations; it is a prerequisite for market leadership and operational resilience. Companies at the forefront of this transformation, such as Google, Hitachi, and MIT, show that data centres can dramatically reduce energy use and carbon output with the right mix of advanced analytics, modular design, and AI-powered innovation. 

As the global green data centre market races toward the US$300 billion mark, adopting these innovations will determine which organisations thrive in the digital economy. The greenest data centres are the ones that harness innovation, analytics, and collaboration to deliver on both business and sustainability goals, helping technology companies and the planet move boldly into the next decade.