From Algorithms to Energy: how AI and the Sustainable Transition drive each other forward

How can artificial intelligence support Europe’s green ambitions, and what is its own environmental impact?

This upcoming debate, organised in collaboration with the European Internet Forum, will explore both sides of the equation: the energy and resource demands of AI, and its potential to accelerate Europe’s digital and green agendas through cross-sector collaboration.

With the EU’s bold ambitions to lead globally in both digital innovation and climate action, artificial intelligence (AI) stands at the heart of this vision. While AI is recognised as a driver of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness, its potential role in supporting Europe’s climate and sustainability goals is equally compelling but still underexplored.

This debate will seek to bridge this gap by examining how AI and the sustainable transition can mutually reinforce one another. As Europe advances its digital transformation, questions are emerging about the environmental implications of AI itself. At the same time, AI is increasingly seen as a powerful tool to optimise energy systems, reduce emissions, and accelerate the green transition.

The first part of the discussion will focus on demystifying the resource demands of AI (exploring the energy required for large-scale model training and the materials needed for hardware) while highlighting how to measure and mitigate these impacts within Europe’s digital and green strategies. The presentations will also showcase concrete examples of how AI can already contribute to decarbonisation across sectors, from optimising logistics and industrial processes to enabling smarter agriculture and climate modelling.

The second part will zoom in on the interplay between AI and energy: how to ensure that AI systems themselves are powered by clean, sustainable sources, and how AI can, in turn, help build a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable European energy system through smart grids, demand forecasting, and real-time optimisation.

Bringing together perspectives from both the digital and the energy worlds, the debate will highlight opportunities for collaboration across sectors. By fostering open dialogue, it will seek to ensure that Europe’s digital and green agendas reinforce each other on the path towards a climate-neutral future.