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A new report from Liberty Global and EY has highlighted the role that AI could play in helping the telecoms sector to achieve sustainability milestones over the next decade
The ‘Smarter Networks, Greener Planet’ report, released this month, explains how AI tech can be used to improve operations, increase efficiencies, and reduce environmental impact in the telco industry.
The two companies highlighted eight actionable strategies to help the telco sector use AI for sustainability:
- Evaluate AI’s environmental impact: Identify areas where AI can reduce energy consumption and waste.
- AI network optimisation: Use AI to enhance the efficiency of mobile and fixed-line networks.
- Integrate renewable energy: Use AI to optimise the use of renewable energy sources and even predict future energy needs.
- Circular economy practices: Use AI to extend the lifespan of equipment and reduce waste.
- AI governance frameworks: Create policies that integrate sustainability into AI development.
- Foster cross-functional collaboration: Encourage cooperation between teams to drive both technological innovation and sustainability.
- Workforce development: Invest in upskilling teams with skills in AI, data analytics, and sustainability.
- Industry wide standards: Lead efforts to establish common ground for sustainable AI practices across the sector.
“While the scenarios we present are speculative, they highlight the strategic potential of AI in the telco sector,” said Dr Harvey Lewis, partner for AI at EY and the author of the report.
“Success will depend on network collaboration across Europe, investment in skills and infrastructure to create more competition, and a holistic approach to AI adoption that balances immediate efficiency gains with long-term sustainability impacts,” he continued.
Perhaps the most important of these points from an emissions perspective is AI’s impact on network energy efficiency. Telcos’ RAN networks and their accompanying equipment comprise around 76% of telcos’ energy usage, according to a GSMA Intelligence report.
Using AI to automate network operations can have a huge impact in reducing this energy consumption. According to Nirali Patel, VP Data & AI Strategy at Liberty Global, AI integration has the potential “to reduce our total network energy consumption by around 10% to 15%.”
But while more closely interweaving AI into telcos’ operations can yield numerous benefits, it should not be forgotten that the technology’s wider use in society carries its own sustainability cost.
A 2024 report published by The Green Web Foundation and Microsoft highlighted that training a single large AI model can consume as much energy as a transatlantic flight for 1,000 people. For example, the energy required to train the GPT-3 model is estimated to have the same environmental impact as the total electricity usage of the entire city of London for over 2 weeks. Even for an end user, a request made through ChatGPT consumes 10 times the electricity of a Google Search.
By 2027, AI could account for up to 134 terawatt hours (TWh) of global electricity usage, 0.5% of total global consumption, equal to the current energy demand of the Netherlands.
Thankfully, the telecoms industry well placed to maximise the benefits of AI without negatively impacting their sustainability credentials. The report forecasts that telecom networks could manage 50 times more data traffic by 2035, with only a 10% increase in energy usage, thanks for the impact of AI.
“While AI adoption brings complex challenges across all sectors, the telecommunications industry is uniquely positioned to enable innovation and environmental stewardship to work hand in hand,” said Manuel Kohnstamm, SVP and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Liberty Global in the foreword to the report.
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