The UK government is taking proactive steps to address climate change, setting ambitious targets such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieving net zero by 2050. To support these goals, organisations using artificial intelligence (AI) services from cloud providers need to consider sustainability factors.
When selecting cloud providers, it is crucial to prioritize sustainability practices alongside AI capabilities. By partnering with cloud providers committed to sustainability, organizations can reduce the environmental impact of using AI technology. Additionally, deploying GenAI applications in a sustainable manner involves following best practices to mitigate the environmental effects of cloud AI platforms.
To minimize energy consumption, organizations should prioritize using cloud-sourced GenAI services powered by renewable energy. They should also consider energy-efficient cloud data centers and monitor power usage effectiveness ratings. Optimizing cloud resource consumption, adopting AI-optimized hardware, managing data storage efficiently, minimizing data movement, establishing sustainable application architectures, leveraging out-of-hours IT, and tuning AI models are all important steps in ensuring sustainable AI usage.