Leading researchers, tech actors, and public authorities each offered their perspectives on how we can develop and use AI more sustainably, as a digital infrastructure with more data centers will require enormous amounts of electricity, putting pressure on the climate.
Experts presented projections showing that the electricity consumption of data centers is expected to double between 2024 and 2030, and that the use of AI solutions will increase as AI becomes a part of daily operations in both public and private sector organizations.
However, it was also highlighted that microchip manufacturers are promising carbon-neutral production by 2030, and that tech companies are investing in supporting the production of green energy to power more sustainable data centers leading up to 2050.
Among the speakers were Mette Louise Kaagaard, Managing Director of Microsoft Denmark and Iceland; Marianne Thyrring, Director of the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI); Jörg Hübner, Director at DTU Nanolab; Raghavendra Selvan, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen; and Lars Christensen, Head of Urban and Environmental Affairs in Høje Taastrup Municipality.