Responsible progress: Boost your bottom line with sustainable AI modernization

Tomorrow doesn’t belong to us — it belongs to the next generation. A cliché? Perhaps. But with advances in AI moving as fast as they are, it sparks an important conversation we need to have today.

Every data center, every trained model and every innovation draws on energy, water and mineral resources. These systems are hungry by nature, and their appetite is only growing.

There is a paradox at play, of course: The same AI systems straining our natural resources today can also become the key to using them more responsibly. In five years, when the technology has matured even more, that could be our reality: A world where technology polices itself, running workloads when renewable energy is plentiful, drawing on stored power when it’s not, and relying on green software built to do more with less.

That’s a future we can all be optimistic about, but right now, there are realities we can’t ignore. They include a lack of transparency around how much energy and water we’re using, the rising carbon cost of innovation and the need for clear standards across industries.

Rather than reasons to slow down, these are reminders to be honest about where we are. Technology will inevitably keep moving forward, but how do we guide this progress intelligently and responsibly?

Sustainability finds its business case

The good news is that large organizations are taking sustainability seriously.

For years, business leaders have treated growth and sustainability as a trade-off between performance and principle. That’s no longer the case. Today, sustainability is proving to be a business advantage, improving efficiency, strengthening resilience and boosting the bottom line.

A Kroll ESG and Global Investor Returns Study analyzed over 13,000 publicly traded companies and found that those with higher environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores delivered stronger total stock returns than their lower-rated peers. It’s an indication that embedding ESG into strategy can improve financial performance.

We’re seeing this shift across industries. A global clothing brand, for instance, redesigned its supply chain around circularity — a model where materials are reused, repurposed and recycled rather than discarded. What began as a response to consumer pressure ended up reducing waste and improving margins. This is a clear example of how doing the right thing is also good for business.

The momentum is building. Across sectors, sustainability is no longer an unwelcome add-on or a compliance box to tick; it’s becoming central to how organizations compete and grow.

We can’t stop progress, but we can reshape it

AI adds a new dimension to this shift. Once a niche capability, it’s now a modern growth engine that accelerates discovery, automation and creativity. But at what cost?

In the digital era, this shift toward sustainability means tracking the efficiency of information itself — from the carbon intensity of algorithms to the energy use of data centers. CIOs and CTOs are increasingly judged not only by the performance of their technology but also by its environmental impact and efficiency.

This is where responsibility becomes a performance measure. Organizations that understand the true footprint of their digital operations — and act on it — are finding new efficiencies and cutting costs in the process. According to research conducted by ClimateAction.Tech, when carbon reduction is treated as a key performance indicator, organizations are several times more likely to achieve real business change than when cost savings alone are the goal. It’s proof that sustainability, when measured and managed properly, can accelerate transformation.

By designing systems that run cleaner, scale smarter and use resources more responsibly, we can turn sustainability into a source of advantage, not limitation.

Responsible AI is about refining innovation. When every workload, algorithm and watt of energy is used wisely, purpose and performance converge, and real progress begins.

This is our inflection point — the moment to decide what kind of progress we want to create. It’s not enough for AI to be powerful; we must make it sustainable, too. And it’s not enough for sustainability to be ethical; it must also be economically sound. The two can and must evolve together.

• ALSO READ → Data centers’ waste heat holds untapped potential

Sustainability at NTT DATA is more than skin deep

At NTT DATA, sustainability is part of how we think about progress. Rooted in Japan — where many of the world’s oldest companies were founded — we draw on a culture that values longevity and purpose. We often ask, “Where will we be in 100 years from now?”

This philosophy shapes how we develop and deploy technology. New ideas are first put into practice inside NTT DATA itself to prove their impact before they reach our clients, and we invest heavily in the future. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in research and development to create sustainable, secure and connected technologies.

But progress doesn’t happen in isolation. We partner with organizations that share our long-term vision — those that look for more sustainable ways to power and refine AI, and to make digital progress compatible with our planet’s limits. Together, we’re working toward a future where technology moves faster but also more sustainably.

Build a future that lasts

Tomorrow may not belong to us, but what we create today will define it. The choices we make about designing, powering and applying technology matter.

Don’t let innovation come at the cost of the future. Let us help you create progress that lasts for your organization and for the generations to follow.

• ALSO READ → NTT DATA demonstrates Planet Positive action on World Cleanup Day 2025

This article was co-authored by Stuart Maclaren, Global Sustainability Alliances Director at NTT DATA.