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Recent headlines are impossible to ignore. AI adoption is driving an enormous surge in demand for energy to power data centers and the storage systems operating within them. Energy constraints have become a primary bottleneck for data center development, with long grid connection queues and capacity backlogs.

The definition of sustainability is being re-written in the age of AI. Yes, the current discourse that focuses on green IT considerations, including resource efficiency, carbon accounting and water use, is necessary. But it is incomplete. Sustainability in the age of AI implies sustaining the long-term flourishing of people, businesses, societies, and planetary systems together, not just minimizing energy use or carbon.

Data infrastructure growth has a direct, measurable relationship with energy consumption. As organizations ingest more events, retain more data, and deploy more always-on services, infrastructure energy use increases—often faster than business value. For streaming systems, this effect can be amplified by long-running clusters, peak-based sizing, and duplicated pipelines. Sustainability in this context is not about environmental reporting or corporate commitments.

As the lead sustainability officer at Qlik, I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the collaborative spirit and escalating urgency driving climate action today. Events like Climate Week NYC, the C40 World Mayors Summit, and COP30, highlight a clear reality: commitments are essential, but implementation and accountability matter more — within private and public sectors alike. And at the heart of this transition lies a powerful trio: data, collaboration, and AI.

The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and cities are on the frontlines. Home to more than half of the world’s population, cities are both major contributors to global emissions and critical drivers of climate solutions. Delivering cleaner air, healthier communities, and resilient infrastructure requires not just commitment, but the power of data to guide and accelerate action.

As IT leaders race to keep up with the demands of cloud computing, big data and especially AI, the energy consumption and efficiency of their data centers has become a major concern. This is where the sustainability of their data storage infrastructure comes into focus. Shifting from what may have once been seen as a tactical necessity, to become a strategic imperative for meeting an organization’s operational AND environmental objectives.

Happy Earth Day 2025! This year's theme, "Our Power, Our Planet," resonates deeply with Qlik's ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship. We believe that creating a sustainable future requires a collective effort, and we're dedicated to prioritizing and embracing renewable energy sources. Our goal is ambitious: to triple the use of clean energy sources by 2030.

Across the globe, organizations are united by one shared priority: sustainability. While committing to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives is simply the right thing to do to preserve our planet for future generations, businesses face additional pressure to prioritize sustainability via regulations, expectations from investors, and consumer preferences. Since 2019, thousands of companies have committed to achieving net-zero emissions.