Lean ICT–towards digital sobriety

The energy intensity of the global Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is growing at an unsustainable rate of 4 per cent annually even as the energy intensity of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) is declining, according to a new study. While the energy intensity of global GDP is declining by 1.8 per cent per year, the energy intensity of the sector is growing 4 per cent per year. The direct energy consumption caused by $1 of investment in digital technologies has increased by 37 per cent since 2010, the report titled 'Lean ICT–towards digital sobriety' found. Drafted by French think-tank The Shift Project with a team of 12 scientists, engineers and consultants, the study states the total energy consumption of the global ICT sector is growing at an unsustainable rate of 9 per cent per year, and already accounts for 3.7 per cent of global energy consumption, up from 2.5 per cent in 2013.