INNOVATION / DIGITAL CARBON
COUNTING CARBON IN THE CLOUD
As operators adopt AI-driven forecasting, robotics, and smart kitchen systems, sustainability conversations are expanding beyond the kitchen. Digital carbon – the emissions tied to running cloud servers, AI algorithms, and connected devices – is emerging as the next frontier in foodservice sustainability. Jim Banks considers the environmental impact of digital technology in foodservice and how operators mitigate it
kitchens, it soon will be. AI- enabled systems to minimize food waste, ensure safety and automate cooking tasks are starting to transform
I
back-of-house operations from manual to data-driven processes, helping businesses cut costs and, on the surface at least, improve sustainability. Te uses of AI in
foodservice are constantly evolving. Burger King has opened up a new avenue with the rollout of its ‘Patty’ AI- enabled headsets in around 500 US locations. Among other things, they monitor customer interaction and assist with inventory management. Te technology creates ‘friendliness scores’ by detecting words like “please” and “thank you” in drive-thru interactions, and helping staff to answer questions. Te potential impact of such
applications is huge, but AI, and other digital systems, come with a carbon cost that has, for now, remained largely hidden. Estimates vary greatly, but
50
f AI is not yet ubiquitous in commercial
there is little doubt that a ChatGPT search requires more energy than a Google search. Te latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows capital expenditure of the world’s largest tech companies exceeded $400bn in 2025, much of it going into data centers, and that figure could grow by a further 75% this year. Electricity demand from data centers soared by 17% in 2025, with that of AI-focused data centers climbing even faster. All digital systems have a
strong draw on data centers, driving a carbon footprint from electricity to run servers, power and water used to cool them, and the carbon embedded in the hardware and buildings. Stefani Bardin of
Unstuck Innovation, who helps foodservice and food manufacturers develop leaner digitally enabled operations, explains that the kitchen-related digital systems carrying a footprint are “anything routed through a data center: point- of-sale, inventory and ordering platforms, internet-connected equipment, camera-based waste systems, energy dashboards, sustainability reporting software, and any AI built on top.” Tis may seem like adding
more to an already heavy burden of sustainability, for which the agenda keeps changing. “It’s fairly new given the
exponential rise in digital adoption,” says Terri Brownlee, director of nutrition and wellness for Bon Appétit, an on- site restaurant company based
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
