IDC predicts a shift in tech-buyer mindset by 2027, with 50% of IT buyers in Asia/Pacific only working with vendors that meet social, environmental, and governance-related responsible AI criteria following sustainable procurement requirements.
In the report, IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Sustainability/ESG 2025 Predictions — Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) (APEJ) Implications, projections from IDC also reveal that 50% of Asia/Pacific organisations will only partner with IT vendors that have robust services or a software partner ecosystem by 2028.
“The AI pivot will see the rise of Green AI use cases. Organisations will move beyond leveraging GenAI to generate emissions reports for compliance to more operationally focused sustainable transformation strategies such as the transition to low carbon footprint IT, more advanced climate risk analytics which will climate-proof supply chains, and enhanced capability to design and produce sustainable products and services at a faster rate,” said Melvie Espejo, research director, Sustainable Strategies and Technologies, IDC Asia/Pacific.
AI-fueled sustainable businesses
Based on the report, IDC predictions reveal that 50% of enterprises in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will implement sustainable AI frameworks. These organisations will utilise data-driven decisions to scale AI operations across data centre locations while meeting decarbonisation goals by 2027.
By 2028, the majority of customers (75%) in APEJ will increasingly expect detailed CO2 emissions data on everything from building, operating, and disposing of their IT assets to assist with their overall corporate sustainable goals.
By 2029, half of APEJ organisations’ chief ethics/sustainability officers will have joined the central AI data governance group or the AI centre of excellence.
