The carbon ROI of AI. How much does Artificial Intelligence cost in CO2? What benefits does it generate instead? The first quantitative study on Italian SMEs.

May 19, 2026 — 11:30 am - 12:00 pm
CDO Innovation Hub

Description

Generative AI is presented as an ally of the transition: it optimizes consumption, predicts waste, and accelerates ESG reporting. But every query to a language model consumes energy. Global data centers could double their electricity consumption by 2030, with an estimated carbon footprint of between 32 and 80 million tons of CO₂ in 2025 alone. Around 60% of the new electricity demand from data centers will be covered by fossil fuels. No one has ever measured this paradox at the level of individual Italian companies. This white paper does so for the first time: through an analysis of companies and sectors, it assesses the net carbon impact of AI adoption—comparing the emissions generated by the use of AI tools (infrastructure, computing, cloud) with the emissions saved thanks to the efficiency gains enabled by AI itself (logistics, energy, processes). The result is a “carbon balance sheet of AI” by company type, size, and sector, accompanied by future scenarios.
CDO INNOVATION HUB

Up2You

Up2You is a company specialized in turning sustainability into a growth driver for businesses, combining expert consulting with a technology platform powered by integrated artificial intelligence....