What is Green IT?

Green IT covers the environmental footprint of an organization's technology stack — from the energy used to run data centers and devices, to the resources consumed manufacturing hardware, to what happens to that hardware at end of life. As computing (and particularly AI workloads) becomes a larger share of corporate energy use, Green IT has moved from a niche cost-saving practice to a material line item in many companies' emissions inventories.

Common Green IT practices

  • Energy-efficient hardware and data centers — using efficient servers, cooling systems, and renewable-powered data centers
  • Virtualization and cloud consolidation — reducing the number of physical servers needed
  • Device lifecycle management — extending hardware lifespan and responsibly recycling e-waste
  • Software efficiency — writing and running code that uses less compute and energy

Green IT and corporate emissions

IT infrastructure typically falls under Scope 2 emissions (purchased electricity for owned data centers and offices) and Scope 3 emissions (cloud services, hardware manufacturing, and e-waste) — meaning Green IT decisions directly affect a company's broader carbon accounting and progress toward net zero targets.

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