Skip to main content Skip to footer

Sustainability: The next growth area for high tech

October 25, 2021

5-MINUTE READ

In brief

With the value of global sustainability assets rising above $220 billion, it is increasingly evident that investing in sustainability is not just morally responsible but financially savvy.

Industry context

Emerging technologies and their sustainability impacts

5G

Improvements in speed, connection density and latency will pave the way for new use cases, resulting in a steep rise in global energy usage.

IoT

Energy consumed by the estimated 50 billion new IoT devices is huge. Also materials used like tungsten and cobalt are difficult to recycle or reclaim.

Blockchain & bitcoin

New technologies like blockchain & bitcoin leverage semiconductor chips and the manufacturing of these chips has an enormous carbon footprint.

The journey to zero net carbon

Let no crisis go to waste

The environmental crisis is global in nature. Companies can look to COVID-19 for the essential techniques for tackling a crisis of this magnitude.

Bridging the gap

Many high tech companies have made sustainability goals. Achieving these objectives is not easy, few COOs can give an accounting of their ESG impact.

Any project needs to begin with a comprehensive sustainability analysis, with as broad a scope as possible. Microsoft has estimated that 90% of the impact a company has is either upstream or downstream of its core operations.

Actions for high tech to enable the transition

Analytics for process control

Companies can analyze data to implement predictive maintenance programs, identifying developing defects in advance to prevent unscheduled downtime.

Digital twins

Digital twin technology enables semiconductor companies to optimize throughput, yield and cost with a fast ramp time while minimizing inefficiencies.

Circular design

By designing for repair and longevity, high tech manufacturers can save money and create new revenue streams while reducing their carbon footprints.

Conclusion

Vikrant Viniak

Senior Managing Director – Sustainability Services & Strategy, North America Lead

Vikrant guides leaders in the design and implementation of transformation programs that reduce costs and improve performance.


Geoffrey Hills

Senior Manager – Strategy & Consulting


Troy White

Senior Manager – Strategy & Consulting

Visit our Subscription and Preference Center