Sustainability & AI
Green computing
The established field of environmentally responsible design, use and disposal of computers and IT systems.
Definition
The environmentally responsible design, manufacture, use and disposal of computers and IT systems — the established field that predates and frames today's sustainable-AI debate.
Quick reference
At a glance
- Subject
- Sustainability & AI
- Editorial status
- Editorial draft
- Definition status
- Established
- Last updated
- 21 August 2026
- Also known as
- green IT · sustainable computing
References
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This source supports the explanation of how the term is applied, measured or governed in practice.
Overview
What it means
Green computing (also 'green IT') grew from energy-efficient hardware and power management to cover procurement, longevity, e-waste and data-centre operations. It supplies much of the vocabulary — efficiency metrics, life-cycle thinking — now applied to AI infrastructure.
How it is used
Organisations practise it through efficient procurement, extended equipment life, virtualisation, responsible disposal and data-centre optimisation; regulation such as the EU's ecodesign rules for servers sets minimum hardware requirements.
Why it matters
AI's footprint is a subset of computing's footprint. Green computing's decades of practice — measure, extend life, design out waste — are the operational base on which credible AI sustainability programmes are built.
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