Tag: energy usage

While Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) mammoth energy requirements have been widely publicised, its water footprint receives far less attention. World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March 2025, provides an opportunity to highlight AI’s lesser-known environmental impact - its water usage.

In a world where computational power drives countless systems, processes, and daily activities, prioritising data centre operations is essential. The data centre acts as the glue holding the inanimate world together. A data centre is the unsung hero behind artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and high-performance computing (HPC).

Renewable electricity contracts, or power purchase agreements, are in high demand as companies and governments seek sustainable solutions, leading to growth in solar and wind energy purchases to meet net-zero carbon emission targets and reduce environmental impact. 

Today, many power industry stakeholders are faced with mounting requirements for improved grid reliability, resilience, and distribution efficiency. It’s a challenge which requires power service providers to rethink their infrastructure, particularly making the most of smart grid philosophies in their deployments.

Property technology (commonly known as proptech) is on the rise globally. The escalating significance of proptech within the industry is underscored by its staggering projected market value - poised to reach $86.5 billion by 2032.

According to analysts, it is estimated that the number of active Internet of Things (IoT) devices globally will surpass 25.4 billion in 2030. It is an astronomical figure and paired with the digital transformation of the global economy, data generation will grow exponentially.

Sustainable societies assume natural resources are finite and aim to practice environmental protection that promotes balance between humans and nature. Adapting sustainability measures can save money in addition to environmental impacts.

With President Cyril Ramaphosa recently admitting that load shedding is ‘inevitable’ for years to come, more and more South African homeowners and business leaders are looking at ways to become more independent from the national power grid.

Over the lockdown period, utilities have stepped up, keeping hospitals running and laptops charged. Energy has not been top of mind for consumers during the current pandemic, but in this new operating environment, we cannot ignore what may soon follow and must ensure we continue to work toward sustainable solutions.