IT Sustainability Trends and Predictions 2025 From Industry InsidersIT Sustainability Trends and Predictions 2025 From Industry Insiders

Sustainability remains a pressing concern in the tech industry, and the increasing use of energy-intensive AI in 2025 will only heighten the challenge.

At ITPro Today, we delve into IT sustainability and green IT, exploring the intricate connections between AI and environmental responsibility. Our resources also include a comprehensive guide on recycling IT equipment to reduce e-waste in landfills. Passionate about green IT but feeling unsupported by your organization? Discover actionable steps to align your values with your workplace.

What's ahead in sustainability for 2025? IT leaders and industry insiders predict a sharper focus on sustainability as AI becomes a key player in achieving environmental goals and GreenOps gains greater traction across organizations.

Read on to see what other sustainability predictions they have for 2025.

First, dive into ITPro Today's 2025 tech predictions, featuring "anti-predictions" that challenge widely expected IT trends with fresh perspectives from our experts:

Tech Industry's Predictions About IT Sustainability in 2025

Related:Gartner Reveals 5 Trends That Will Make Software Engineering Faster, Greener

2025 Set to Shift AI Focus Toward Sustainability, Efficiency

I think 2025 will really start to reframe AI initiatives around longer-term cost and energy-use sustainability. In my view, companies will increasingly measure their AI deployment not just by performance metrics, but by computational efficiency, changing how they view energy consumption in cloud and AI workloads by prioritizing intelligent workload management and more precise resource allocation. AI needs to make sense at scale, and I suspect that sustainability strategies will be under the spotlight in the coming year. — Tzvika Zaiffer, director, Solutions, Spot by NetApp

Pressure on the Grid and the Reservoirs Will Drive Green Computing

North American data center vacancy rates are hitting new lows across major markets while continued worldwide power shortages are inhibiting global data center growth, according to 2024 research from CRBE. With water shortages continuing to plague the American West, IT and business leaders will begin to see significant impacts on the bottom line from the looming energy crisis. These natural constraints will serve as stronger motivators than ever before to adopt green computing and green business strategies. While the carrot hasn't always worked in the past, the stick of rising prices and power shortages to run facilities and support AI and digital business initiatives will be a wake-up call to many organizations. — Krishna Subramanian, co-founder and COO, Komprise

Related:GreenOps, FinOps, and the Sustainable Cloud

Balancing AI Demands with Energy-Efficient Storage

As AI workloads grow, so do the energy demands and costs associated with them, pushing organizations to seek cost-saving, energy-efficient strategies. One key focus will be data storage, as vast datasets are crucial for AI but costly to maintain. Organizations will increasingly turn to scalable, low-power storage solutions, leveraging cold storage for less frequently accessed data to cut energy consumption. However, this "cold" data won't stay idle; it will be proactively recovered for reuse, re-monetization, and model recalibration as business needs evolve. By balancing high-performance access with efficient cold storage, companies can meet AI demands while reducing costs and environmental impact. — Tim Sherbak, Enterprise Products and Solutions manager, Quantum

Sustainability and Green Tech in Retail

As retailers pivot toward sustainable practices, mobile devices have contributed to green workflows. Mobile technology will reduce energy usage, digitize processes to limit data storage needs, and cut down on manual tasks, contributing to a reduced carbon footprint. Insights from the 2024 T&L report reinforce the environmental benefits of optimized mobility and workflow automation, helping retailers lead with sustainability. — Shash Anand, SVP of product strategy, SOTI

Related:A Five-Step Guide to Conducting a Successful Sustainability Materiality Assessment

Shift Toward Energy-Efficient, Scalable AI Infrastructure

In 2025, AI infrastructure is poised to evolve beyond a "GPU-first" approach to a more holistic focus on the entire data center ecosystem. This broader approach includes leveraging sustainable energy sources like nuclear power to support the growing compute demands. With NVIDIA's supply stabilizing, Blackwell driving this even more, and AMD likely building significant strength in 2025,
we'll see improvements in availability, cost, and energy efficiency, making AI compute more resilient and adaptable as we scale. It'll be exciting to see how this transformation unfolds. — Chris Lattner, CEO and co-founder, Modular

Organizations Prioritize Sustainability

As climate change concerns intensify and regulations tighten, organizations will prioritize reducing their carbon footprint. There will be more focus on energy management and the adoption of more energy-efficient computing, with the implementation of more AI governance. AI-driven solutions themselves consume vast amounts of energy, so more robust governance efforts may require the tracking and disclosure of AI's energy impact, driving the adoption of greener AI models. We'll also see that companies will adopt energy-efficient computing not just for sustainability but also for cost savings, as electricity becomes an increasingly significant operational expense. — Eric Stavola, vice president of managed services sales and programs, Visual Edge IT

CSRD Compliance Looms for U.S. Companies with EU Ties

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will impact U.S. companies with EU subsidiaries or substantial business interests in Europe, with compliance reporting for large companies commencing in January 2025. While Scope 3 emissions reporting requirements have stalled in the U.S., these are key to CSRD compliance. Scope 3 reporting is complex which means companies should begin the process as soon as possible, if they haven't already. CIOs should prioritize compliance with the CSRD by establishing carbon accounting best practices and partnering with companies that can help streamline external reporting, which will allow them to get ahead of requirements and ensure compliance. In the future, we'll see more advanced accounting methods for carbon and Scope 3 when it comes to IT assets, along with amortization of the carbon footprint that will encourage extended life cycles and reuse rather than destruction. — Fredrick Forslund, VP & GM, International, Blancco 

AI's Massive Energy Consumption

Energy consumption is another pertinent question, given the explosion of AI. Microsoft has recently worked to reopen the nuclear power plant, Three Mile Island, and we're likely to see hyperscalers becoming utility companies to serve their energy needs. There may be greater focus on the sheer sustainability of AI, relative to the benefits it can offer. Spending on AI is projected to outstrip that of broadband infrastructure, even though it's unclear what the outcome will be — and that is worth bearing in mind. — Gordon Van Huizen, SVP of Strategy, Mendix

Companies Will Continue Drive for Improved Emissions and Sustainability

Companies will stay committed to sustainability and continue to focus resources even if the U.S. pulls out of some areas like the Paris Accords. California, the EU, and UK will not stop driving their requirements. So, companies will find it easier to continue the drive for improved emissions and sustainability overall. — Jim Kozlowski, chief sustainability officer and VP Data Center Operations, Ensono

Thriving or Surviving? The Fate of Green Tech in a Subsidy-Free Future

The "X-factor" in green tech will be the influence of Elon Musk on the future Trump administration, as Musk has deep financial interests in solar and electric cars. It will be unlikely for a Trump administration to attack these sectors. — Ross Meyercord, CEO, Propel Software

GenAI's Growth Sparks Increased Server Demand and Energy Consumption

Any organization with generative AI in their product offerings or stack will either have to account for increased server demand, presenting a significant energy sourcing challenge (see Microsoft's plan for Three Mile Island), as well as a spike in overall energy consumption. Many believe that generative AI will present new pathways to cost efficiency and improved productivity, but the trade-off is that increased server and processing demand will result in a dramatically increased carbon footprint. A refined approach to workplace optimization is essential for any organization that plans to take advantage of AI and increased server infrastructure while having the slightest chance to achieve sustainability goals. —Dan Root, head of Global Strategic Alliances, Barco ClickShare

Revolutionizing Data Centers with Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

In 2025, energy efficiency and sustainability of data centers will become a top priority for organizations worldwide. As environmental regulations tighten and the effects of climate change — and climate change mitigation — become more pronounced, businesses will face increasing pressure to overhaul data center operations. Building data centers in space, embracing modular fission reactors, and stepping up research in practical fusion — are all examples of novel solutions for companies to address energy constraints while also ensuring continuous, always-on operations for mission critical businesses. With the AI boom, the relentless growth in data production demands inventive approaches in the face of growing climate and energy challenges. — Spencer Kimball, CEO and co-founder, Cockroach Labs

Cloud Providers and AI Users Will Share Environmental Responsibility

The rush to adopt AI is leading to inefficient models that consume vast amounts of cloud resources and contribute to a larger carbon footprint. It is not only up to hardware providers and hyperscalers to reduce environmental impact — it's a shared responsibility with the AI users managing data and AI workloads. Greater efficiency in AI model development — made possible by cloud-optimized data and AI platforms — will help to reduce unnecessary duplication and waste and minimize energy consumption. — Jerry Williams, chief environmental officer, SAS

Sustainable IT Will Demand a Smarter Lifecycle Strategy

Refurbished tech will continue to grow in popularity in 2025, but we need to move past the simplistic narrative that refurbished is always better for the planet. The focus should shift to the bigger picture: how businesses manage their IT lifecycle. Refurbished and new devices both have a role to play, but only when they're part of a cohesive strategy that ensures maximum value and minimal waste. To make this happen, businesses need access to platforms that combine flexibility, transparency, and a commitment to sustainability. — Leo Poggiali, co-founder and CEO, Ooodles

CIOs Will Drive Sustainable Digital Transformation in 2025

Digital solutions are at the core of building resiliency and supporting a business' sustainable transition. By implementing digital tools across the organization, companies can work towards their sustainability goals while also improving the bottom line. For example, embracing AI and data-driven decision-making will empower IT teams to speed up decision-making by unlocking valuable insights from data to progress sustainability goals. — Bobby Cain, North American CIO, Schneider Electric

Power Efficiency in 2025: Fueling Growth, Innovation, and Green Initiatives

In 2025, power efficiency will be driven by financial and environmental imperatives as well as the desire to have the power to have more compute available for data analytics and AI. Companies will increasingly focus on optimizing energy use to meet green initiatives and unlock the computational power needed for intensive GPU workloads. This shift goes beyond the surface-level appeal of sustainability. Power efficiency will become a strategic advantage, enabling businesses to save on operational costs while expanding their computational capabilities. As an added benefit, organizations will be able to meet their green goals, creating a win-win situation: enhanced profitability alongside a reduced environmental footprint. In this landscape, energy-efficient data storage and management infrastructure won't just make companies look good — it will become a critical enabler for growth and innovation, positioning them at the forefront of technological and environmental progress. — Molly Presley, SVP of Global Marketing, Hammerspace

Companies Will Need Help to Balance Sustainability and Growth in an AI-Powered Era

The environmental impact of AI is the elephant in a lot of rooms. AI requires high energy consumption levels that impact carbon emissions across the board. By 2025, the amount of energy used by data centers dedicated to AI is expected to match the amount consumed by a country the size of the Netherlands in one year. Indeed, in many of my AI conversations with customers, sustainability emerges as a core concern. In 2025, customers will increasingly seek out partners who can deploy technology while helping them meet their net-zero commitments and sustainability goals on their current timeline. Businesses that win will be those who prioritize energy-efficient products and circularity in business models. Interestingly, AI-powered technology could also play a crucial role in unlocking energy efficiencies. Businesses will see AI unlock a new era of "energy networking" that combines software-defined networking capabilities with an electric power system made up of direct current (DC) micro grids to deliver more visibility into emissions, and a platform for optimizing power usage, distribution, and storage. In 2025, AI will be both the "what" and the "how" in this space, bringing us vast capabilities and a continuous learning method for delivering them more sustainably. — Liz Centoni, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer, Cisco

Organizations Will Increasingly Use AI to Meet Sustainability Goals

In certain locations, companies are required to report on their sustainability results. By leveraging AI, automated suggestions can be made to choose a more sustainable option when procuring goods. Collecting and utilizing this data will help companies to meet these requirements. — Adrienne Wilson, Director of Sales, Esker

Faster Model Training Reduces AI Carbon Footprint  

Speed and algorithmic efficiency cannot be ignored as critical levers to reduce cloud consumption. While energy-hungry AI will continue to fuel the drive toward sustainable energy sources including nuclear, it will also increase demand for more energy efficient models. Just like the home appliance industry and auto industry made huge advancements in energy efficiency, we must make AI models more efficient. —Bryan Harris, executive VP and chief technology officer, SAS

AI-Driven Workspaces Enhance Collaboration, Sustainability, Workforce Responsiveness

Conversations in the workplace will expand from using AI in the business to how it can be used to make the built environment more responsive to the workforce. With more people coming into the office, employers will continue to seek ways to make the environment supportive of productivity and collaboration while lowering energy costs and CO2 emissions. The key is to make sure that using AI to capture knowledge about the built environment is anonymous and the data is aggregated. This way, you aren't identifying individual behaviors but instead are spotting trends to take actions that support the larger business goals. — Honghao Deng, CEO and co-founder, Butlr

Hybrid Electric Aircrafts (HEA) Are Taking Off as a Path to Sustainable Aviation

Electric propulsion in air travel, while possible, is still limited in scope by batteries' power density and therefore, limited range of flight. Hybrid propulsion offers a viable solution at this specific moment, providing a first step toward decarbonization from one of the biggest contributors.
Hydrogen can become a more concrete option with the evolution of fuel cells. — Paolo Colombo, director of strategy, aerospace & defense, Altair

GreenOps Will Grab a Greater Foothold

Statistics show that the public cloud now has a larger carbon footprint than even the airline industry, and a single public data center uses as much electricity as 50,000 homes. Amid new regulations, particularly in Europe, coupled with consumer pressure, we predict more interest in the concept of GreenOps. Put simply, GreenOps is the practice of minimizing a cloud environment's carbon footprint by efficiently using cloud resources. This can only be done with visibility into an organization's true cloud spend and a deeper understanding of how resources are allocated. Optimizing cloud use to reduce waste will be a key part of this puzzle, leading organizations and individuals to take a closer look at their data usage. — Bill Buckley, senior vice president of engineering, CloudZero

Finding the Perfect Balance for New Devices While Satisfying ESG Goals 

As we move into 2025, there is likely to be even more scrutiny from mindful consumers over the ESG goals of businesses they buy from. With this shift, organizations will look at extending device lifecycles as far as possible to reduce e-waste. This means more businesses will look to increase circularity in their supply chain and their operations. At the same time, in the face of the growing climate crisis, companies will look for ways to decrease carbon emissions. With refurbished devices showing a lower carbon footprint than new devices, and with a growing focus on advancing a circular economy, the market for refurbished devices will grow in 2025 as organizations move towards their ESG goals while maintaining ROI on hardware purchases. — Claudia Contreras, VP, HP Renew Solutions Product & Offer Management

Efficiency Innovations Will Be Critical and Dual-Focused

Expect data center efficiency gains to provide only a temporary buffer against rising energy demands for AI, quantum computing, and large-scale analytics, which are growing at 20-25% annually. Within a few years, efficiency alone won't suffice. The industry will likely pivot to hardware-software co-design, maximizing energy savings across the stack by integrating optimizations from hardware through the software layer. Yet, without significant clean energy investment, these innovations won't be able to deliver the impact needed on their own. In the near future, we'll see a dual focus on tech optimization and sustainable energy become essential to meet soaring demand. — Chris Gladwin, CEO and founder, Ocient

A Seismic Shift in Enterprise Computing: Power Becomes a Core Criterion in RFPs

For the first time in the history of computing, the growth of enterprise technologies like data analytics and artificial intelligence will be constrained by external factors — specifically, energy availability. Recent data from Ocient's Beyond Big Data Report supports that nearly a third (31%) of IT and data leaders cite reducing energy consumption as a motivator to switch or upgrade data warehouse or database solutions in 2024. This shift will drive a fundamental change in how companies approach procurement in 2025. Enterprise RFPs will increasingly prioritize energy efficiency and power availability as critical factors, alongside traditional concerns like cost, capabilities, and performance. In response, hardware and software providers will enhance transparency around energy usage by incorporating clear metrics and reporting mechanisms into their solutions. As companies weigh power requirements in tandem with sustainability goals, vendors who fail to offer energy-efficient, measurable solutions risk being left behind. Power will effectively become a core currency, influencing not only technology roadmaps but also enterprise growth strategies. — Chris Gladwin, CEO and founder, Ocient

Companies Will Couple AI and Automation Technologies to Progress 2030 Sustainability Goals

Companies have bold 2030 sustainability goals, but also have more complex infrastructure and more data sources than when these goals were first announced years ago. In 2025, organizations with sustainability ambitions and targets should implement AI-powered automation capabilities, including observability, resource management and application lifecycle management. These capabilities can help reduce the strain on data centers, including managing energy consumption and improving asset performance and lifecycle, which can ultimately help progress sustainability goals overall. — Kendra DeKeyrel, vice president ESG & Asset Management product leader, IBM

More Business Leaders Will Experiment with AI for Sustainability

Businesses are facing mounting compliance measures around sustainability, plus heightened scrutiny from consumers. Meanwhile, AI adoption is becoming more realistic due to energy-efficient processors and open-source models. In 2025, I predict more businesses will turn to generative AI to measure emissions, identify opportunities, and otherwise improve sustainability. — Kendra DeKeyrel, vice president ESG & Asset Management product leader, IBM

Financial Institutions Will Prize Adaptable and Secure Technology to Keep Up With Rise of ESG Regulations

The financial industry will need to quickly adapt to increasing regulations around ESG reporting, making it critical to understand their Financed emissions. The solution? I predict they will invest in technology that harmonizes data between sources, assesses quality and completeness, and supports traceability, helping calculate their emissions so they can take action. Given the sensitive nature of ESG data, these organizations will seek only the most comprehensive and secure solutions. — Kendra DeKeyrel, vice president ESG & Asset Management product leader, IBM

Expect to See Many More AI Models Trained on Geospatial Datasets

Extreme weather and climate-related crises will continue in 2025, leading to costly disruptions. As a result, expect more governments, utilities, and private-sector companies to couple geospatial datasets and AI models with the hopes of predicting — and mitigating — climate disruptions. — David Blanch, director, Product Management, ESG and Environmental Intelligence, IBM 

AI Initiatives Shift Focus to Long-Term Sustainability

I think 2025 will really start to reframe AI initiatives around longer-term cost and energy-use sustainability. In my view, companies will increasingly measure their AI deployment not just by performance metrics, but by computational efficiency, changing how they view energy consumption in cloud and AI workloads by prioritizing intelligent workload management and more precise resource allocation. AI needs to make sense at scale, and I suspect that sustainability strategies will be under the spotlight in the coming year. — Tzvika Zaiffer, director, Solutions, Spot by NetApp

Sustainability and ESG Reporting Take Center Stage

In 2025, we'll continue to see companies embrace the stakeholder value of accurate ESG reporting. To prioritize sustainability effectively, organizations should set realistic, data-backed ESG goals that are measurable and transparent. This isn't about perfection—it's about consistent progress. Companies need goals they can report on honestly and improve upon over time. Technology, especially AI-driven data tools, will play a pivotal role, offering enhanced accuracy and efficiency in ESG tracking and reporting. — Avani Desai, CEO, Schellman

Flexibility in ESG Strategies Amid Policy Changes

While potential shifts under a new administration may lead to changes in reporting structures, the broader demand for transparency is here to stay. To stay ahead, businesses should embed flexibility into their ESG strategies, allowing them to adapt to policy changes without major disruptions. Governance models rooted in strong data practices will be essential, enabling companies to weather changes without losing momentum. — Avani Desai, CEO, Schellman

Sustainability: A Consistent Expectation

Despite political shifts, the expectation for companies to demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainable practices will remain constant. This is a unifying theme that resonates with stakeholders across industries, making accurate and meaningful ESG reporting a non-negotiable priority. — Avani Desai, CEO, Schellman

Data Processing Plays a Greater Role in AI Energy Efficiency

The energy required to power AI systems has been top of mind for many, with incredible amounts of energy needed for computing power and data storage. As more and more businesses adopt AI, the energy requirement is not only unsustainable from an environmental perspective, but also a financial one. Data processing requires a vast amount of this spend, and more efficient data processing can result in a 10 to 20% reduction in energy usage for data centers, which is a huge savings. By improving the efficiency of data processing, data centers can reduce the number of servers in use, which equates to less energy consumption. — Rajan Goyal, CEO & co-founder, DataPelago

Energy Consciousness Around AI and Quantum Will Come to the Forefront

We've heard rumblings about the environmental impact of generative AI and quantum computing, but conversations have been relatively quiet as society grasps what these technologies do in the first place and what they mean for organizations, governments, data security, etc. I predict that will change in 2025. As GenAI makes its way into becoming a core pillar of business' strategies for innovation and efficiency, we'll start to see a lot more conversations around the energy spend that GenAI requires. To set the stage for what this energy consumption looks like, ChatGPT's daily power usage is equal to about 180,000 U.S. households. To harken back to deepfakes, creating an AI-generated image uses about the same amount of energy as powering a phone. When it comes to quantum computing, the supercooling required for many types of quantum computers to run successfully is where immense amounts of energy is used. Most quantum computers need to be kept at a temperature of near absolute zero to run accurately. Warm temperatures introduce errors in quantum calculations and correcting such errors requires additional energy. There will need to be some breakthroughs in energy use if quantum is to reach widespread commercial viability. Needless to say, between AI and quantum computing, the energy and environmental impact conversation surrounding emerging technologies is going to be forced to the forefront. — Jon France, CISO, ISC2

Virtual Twins: The Game-Changer for Reducing Data Center Energy Consumption

In 2024, we witnessed a significant surge in data center demands driven by the rapid growth of AI technology, which is projected to further increase energy consumption by 160% by 2030. In response, in 2025 we can expect data center stakeholders to take more concerted action to mitigate this trend. In 2025, we may not completely solve the problem of energy consumption challenges of data centers, but we will significantly reduce their impact. For instance, an effective strategy is to take a holistic approach to optimizing the energy consumption of cooling systems and IT, which together account for 80% of total energy use, by leveraging virtual twins — a solution with the potential to be revolutionary. These virtual models can simulate computer workloads and their impact on energy consumption, heat generation, airflow cooling and the combination of water cooling systems — direct liquid cooling. This approach can reduce server consumption by up to 10%, along with cooling consumption by 30%, resulting in significant savings on energy bills. Finding ways to reduce energy consumption in any form is critical in the short-term versus attempting to solve the problem in full — small, manageable steps are the key to long-term progress.
By showcasing the efficacy of strategies like optimizing cooling systems through virtual twins, it paves the way for further innovation in other aspects down the road. — Jean-Marc Gaufres, industry solution experience director, Dassault Systèmes

AI Will Play Larger Role in Meeting Sustainability Goals

Organizations will increasingly use AI to meet sustainability goals in 2025. Automating supply chain and procurement workflows will help companies reduce waste, optimize resource use, and improve compliance with sustainability targets. AI technology will also enable finance and procurement leaders to better view, categorize, and optimize spend from both an environmental resource use and profitability perspective. — Dan Reeve, vice president, Esker

AI Deployment Will Be Measured by Computational Efficiency

I think 2025 will really start to reframe AI initiatives around longer-term cost and energy-use sustainability. In my view, companies will increasingly measure their AI deployment not just by performance metrics, but by computational efficiency, changing how they view energy consumption in cloud and AI workloads by prioritizing intelligent workload management and more precise resource allocation. AI needs to make sense at scale, and I suspect that sustainability strategies will be under the spotlight in the coming year. — Tzvika Zaiffer, director, Solutions, Spot by NetApp

AI Will Drive Risk Mitigation and Sustainability

AI will be critical in helping businesses minimize and mitigate risk. For example, companies need to ensure that they capture and report their use of energy, carbon footprint, and the amount of spend that is placed with diverse businesses. AI capabilities will help companies identify risks in the supply chain while saving time and effort in capturing and reporting on carbon metrics. Carbon footprint, for instance, can be calculated based on the types of goods and services a company buys and consumes, with data extracted from purchase orders and invoices. — Dan Reeve, vice president, Esker

Storage Innovation Will Be Key to Tackling the Data Center Crunch and Protecting the Planet

As the data boom continues unabated, it will eventually reach the point where data centers will become overwhelmed. However, financial, regulatory, and environmental concerns will increasingly challenge the need for greater physical data center space and capacity. According to the UK's National Grid, for example, power demand from commercial data will increase six-fold just within the next 10 years. According to CBRE, AI advancements in particular are projected to significantly drive future data center demand, and high-performance computing will require rapid innovation in data center design and technology to manage rising power density needs. However, it's not just innovation in computing that can help address these issues. Higher areal density hard drives, which expand the amount of data stored on a given unit of storage media, can enable greater data capacity in data centers, avoiding the need to build new sites, driving significant TCO savings and reducing environmental impact. — B.S. Teh, EVP and chief commercial officer, Seagate Technology