DIGITAL CARBON $400BN


in Palo Alto, California. “First, you had digitalization, cloud adoption, big data, and now AI, and the proliferation of data centers, all within a little over a decade. Foodservice is trying to understand the effects of AI and assess the effectiveness against the cost.”


MITIGATING FACTORS Digital carbon can be a difficult topic – it affects all industries, not just foodservice – and there is no obvious path to mitigation. “I’ve been seeing a lot of


information lately about the harmful or negative impacts of data centers as they are popping up everywhere,” says consultant Renee Palmer FCSI, associate principal at FoodSpace. “As a society, we are not having enough of the tough conversations about data centers. I love AI, but I love our communities and the earth more.” So, how can digital


infrastructure fit into a sustainability strategy? Until there is an exact method for measuring it, the answer remains unclear. “It’s possible to measure


almost anything with enough money or patience,” says Brownlee. “Te data on energy and water consumption varies and is based on average estimates under specific conditions, so accurate regional assessments would be difficult, but not impossible. I believe in the near future we’ll have access to more regional- specific data.” Any commitment to reduce


The capital expenditure of the world’s largest tech companies exceeded $400bn in 2025, much of it going into data centers


“AI-powered sustainable kitchen claims will not hold up to outside review if the digital footprint is invisible”


carbon footprints first requires an understanding of which AI tools are most impactful. “Companies will have to


determine the cost of the AI impact, as well as the entry cost of deploying physical equipment and the life cycle of that equipment,” Brownlee adds. “Discuss it early and often in the design process. For these digital systems to work, they must have strong, fast, and reliable connectivity – without that, nothing else works.” Bardin highlights several


ways in which operators could possibly reduce the potential for digital carbon emissions. Te first is procurement – choose vendors with credible renewable energy commitments and self- elective transparency reporting. Next, avoid real-time processing when daily reporting will do; consolidate platforms and purge stale data. Finally, net-benefit accounting – ask explicitly whether AI cuts more emissions than it creates. “AI-powered sustainable


kitchen claims will not hold up to outside review if the digital


footprint is invisible,” she adds. Although sustainability


has become a major focus in foodservice over the years, digital carbon is only just starting to appear on the radar of manufacturers and their clients. For now, the focus is on energy efficiency at the point of use and, possibly, the growing issue of embodied carbon. “We are all becoming more


aware of the higher energy consumption associated with AI queries compared to traditional web searches,” says Detlef Rank, director consultant management at Rational. “Personally, I also struggle to see a broader societal benefit if additional power plants are needed simply to mine new bitcoins. But when it comes to AI in commercial kitchens, the picture is different.” In this context, he believes


the positive effects outweigh the additional energy consumption required. “Just to put that into perspective, our IT’s CO2e footprint – covering only externally procured energy – accounts for less than 0.05%


of our overall corporate carbon footprint,” he points out.


A DELICATE BALANCE Tese comments align with the IEA report in hinting at an intriguing balance. Power usage per AI task is declining, with efficiency improving at an unprecedented rate. However, more people are using AI, and increasingly for energy- intensive uses such as AI agents. Electricity consumption by data centers is set to double by 2030, and power use from those focused on AI could triple. “Te benefits could


outweigh the costs, though you can’t dismiss costs when you talk about the human impact on people’s communities and lives of building data center infrastructure,” says Nahum Goldberg FCSI of NGAssociates Foodservice Consultants. “AI can reduce carbon emissions in some ways – food waste would be the best example, but also demand forecasting, inventory and energy optimization. Te balance between emissions saving at an operational level and an increase in digital carbon at data center level should not be overlooked and warrants a holistic, human, and environmentally conscious approach.” Digital carbon has only just


appeared over the horizon, but is set to become a central issue in foodservice. While it may not yet be at


the top of every consultant’s agenda, it should at least be on the list of priorities.


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