India’s AI startups urged to adopt green AI: can net-zero goals keep pace?

India’s burgeoning AI startup ecosystem faces mounting pressure to adopt green AI technologies to meet the nation’s ambitious net-zero carbon emissions targets.

A United Nations report highlighted that operations of leading AI companies surged by an average of 150% from 2020 to 2023, driven largely by energy-intensive data centers. Carbon emissions from top AI systems are projected to reach 102.6 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually as AI investments grow.

Experts emphasize that generative AI models, which require extensive computational power, contribute significantly to environmental strain by consuming thousands of megawatt hours of electricity and relying on limited freshwater resources for cooling.

Professor Jitesh Lalwani, assistant dean at Woxsen University, advises, "To minimise these effects, the general public is advised to use environmentally conscious AI models, whereas upcoming AI models should be looking at less server energy per response."

Legal experts from S&R law firm stress the importance for Indian businesses to adopt global best practices in green AI, especially since India has yet to establish a dedicated AI regulatory framework.

With major tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet showing operational growth between 138% and 182% over three years, the environmental footprint of AI is expanding rapidly. India's AI startups are thus urged to integrate sustainability into their innovation strategies to balance technological advancement with ecological responsibility.

This approach is critical for India to keep pace with its net-zero goals while fostering a competitive AI industry.

India’s AI startups are urged to adopt green AI practices to align with the country’s net-zero goals amid rising carbon emissions from AI data centers. UN and experts warn that AI’s power-hungry operations, including generative AI, significantly impact the environment, urging sustainable tech growth.