A new survey reveals that 63% of IT leaders in Ireland have made reducing environmental impact a priority for their technology strategy.
The survey from data centre operator Equinix shows that companies here are concerned about the consequences of failing to meet their sustainability targets, but many are struggling to meet those targets.
49% of those surveyed believe that the challenges they face in meeting their environmental sustainability targets are a threat to their business.
The research also reveals that 55% of those surveyed say they will only work with IT partners who can meet key carbon reduction targets.
The survey was carried out for the Equinix 2022 Global Tech Trends Survey and it included 2,900 IT decision-makers globally, of which 100 were based in Ireland.
Equinix said the results of the survey indicate that most businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental footprint of their IT.
65% of firms reported that they are actively measuring and trying to limit the impact of their IT infrastructure and equipment.
Today's survey also shows that 56% of businesses in Ireland have plans in place to manage the environmental impact of their growing data usage and some 68% of IT decision-makers say that their data centre is helping them to achieve this.
74% of businesses in Ireland also believe that the cloud is an essential element in reducing their company's carbon footprint, Equinix said.
Judith Gardiner, Vice President, Growth and Emerging Markets, Equinix, said with the increased use of data and technology comes a responsibility on all of us to not only find a sustainable way to manage this increase, but to proactively reduce the environmental impact of our entire digital footprint.
"Our research found that, like Equinix, 54% of businesses in Ireland have committed to science-based targets, which provide organisations with a clearly defined pathway to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero," she said.
Equinix has partnered with energy agency Codema in Ireland to carry out a feasibility study to discover ways to reuse waste heat from data centres to heat vital public infrastructure in Dublin.
The company is also part of an EU-funded consortium that is developing low-carbon fuel cells that can power data centres.
