Technology Now · Hewlett Packard Enterprise

How can you balance AI and sustainability?

April 17, 2025·22 min·2 clips

AI infrastructure could use six times more water than Denmark in just two years, according to UN predictions.

Technology Now hosts Michael Bird and Aubrey Lovell tackle the intersection of AI and sustainability, drawing on interviews from the World Economic Forum at Davos and commentary from HPE’s Chief Sustainability Officer Monica Batchelder. The episode opens with striking statistics: the 2024 UN Digital Economy Report found that a single 2kg computer requires 800kg of raw materials to manufacture, and the UN Environment Programme projects that within two years AI infrastructure globally could consume up to six times more water than all of Denmark. Batchelder frames her role as guiding HPE toward a unified sustainable business strategy that addresses both the environmental impact of its own products and how those products can help customers meet their own climate targets. She identifies a paradox at the heart of sustainable AI: on one side is “sustainable AI,” meaning efficient, ethical AI systems with minimal footprint; on the other is “AI for sustainability,” meaning using AI to reduce harm and transform industries. The challenge is understanding whether downstream environmental benefits outweigh the costs of running the AI in the first place. Batchelder notes that board-level pressure from investors has dramatically accelerated corporate sustainability reporting requirements, making this a strategic business issue rather than just a values issue. The conversation touches on HPE’s own approaches to reducing data center energy and water consumption, including liquid cooling technologies and renewable energy sourcing. A discussion of AI-optimized energy grids and smart agriculture illustrates cases where AI’s environmental benefits clearly outweigh its costs. The episode also raises the risk that AI could be deployed carelessly—optimizing narrow metrics while causing broader harm—and that organizations need clear frameworks for evaluating total impact. Topics include scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, the circular economy in hardware, and the challenge of e-waste as AI hardware cycles accelerate. The tone is thoughtful and corporate, positioning sustainability as a business opportunity rather than a burden. The episode is best suited for business leaders, technology decision-makers, and sustainability professionals grappling with how to think about AI investment through an environmental lens.

As heard by us

A clear look at the hidden costs of AI and the practical ways to reuse them.

The episode stays anchored in the material side of AI: raw inputs, data centers, water use, heat, and the supply chain that keeps the machines running. That gives the discussion a firm practical spine, since it asks what the system costs before it asks what it can do.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a practical look at AI's sustainability costs and the upside hiding in waste heat.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Technology Now