At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona, energy and artificial intelligence (AI) leaders emphasized the urgent need for the tech industry to speed up the development of sustainable solutions for data centers. With AI technologies becoming increasingly reliant on vast amounts of energy, experts warn that fossil fuel-powered data centers could lead to massive carbon emissions by 2030.
Anna Borg, CEO of Vattenfall, highlighted the availability of existing technologies but stressed that the industry must “pick up the pace” to meet rising energy demands sustainably. The non-profit Beyond Fossil Fuels predicts that electricity demand for data centers in Europe could rise by 160% by 2030, leading to a sharp increase in CO2 emissions unless renewable energy sources are prioritized.
While AI companies are managing energy demands for now, ARM’s Ami Badani warned that scaling AI to achieve artificial general intelligence would require much more power. The focus is now on optimizing every aspect of data center energy use, from computing chips to cooling systems.
Industry leaders believe that innovation, particularly in AI technologies that optimize energy usage, can help mitigate this crisis. Smaller language models with industry-specific knowledge may reduce the power required by AI systems and help curb energy demand.
As the global tech industry faces increased scrutiny, experts agree that faster solutions and new technologies are necessary to prevent a significant rise in emissions linked to AI and data centers.