IFS: A Pioneering Approach to AI Sustainability

AI is driving a paradox in sustainability: can the technology be harnessed for sustainability faster than it consumes resources?

Fuelled by the rapid rise of AI, the global number of data centres has skyrocketed from 500,000 in 2012 to eight million today. 

According to UNEP, AI-related infrastructure worldwide could soon use up to six times more water than Denmark – a nation of six million people. The International Energy Agency reports that a single request made through ChatGPT consumes around 10 times the electricity of a Google search. 

In the US, data centres are projected to account for between 6.7% and 12.0% of total electricity consumption by 2028.

For industrial and asset‑intensive businesses, the challenge is clear: harness AI and digital platforms to decarbonise operations faster than digital demand grows.

IFS: Running operations efficiently and effectively

IFS is a global cloud enterprise software company focused on complex, asset‑ and service‑centric industries, delivering enterprise cloud and industrial AI solutions to help organisations run their operations efficiently and effectively. 

"In 2025 Industrial AI went from hype to reality. Applied," says Mark Moffat, CEO at IFS.

"We deployed AI at scale – manufacturing floors, energy grids, aerospace ops, critical infrastructure. We partnered with Anthropic, Boston Dynamics, Siemens Digital Industries Software, 1X and many many more. We achieved a €15bn (US$17.7bn) valuation by delivering results our customers can measure.

"Industrial AI works when it's embedded where work happens. Not in boardrooms. On factory floors. In the field. Across supply chains."

Its portfolio spans ERP, EAM, FSM and asset‑intensive industry solutions, increasingly delivered through IFS Cloud as a single, composable platform. 

This gives IFS a strategic vantage point over the operational data – assets, people, processes and financials – that underpins credible ESG transformation.

IFS’ sustainability strategy

IFS positions sustainability as a core business priority, not an add‑on, structuring its strategy around three pillars: operational excellence, supporting customers and wider community impact. 

The company publishes an annual Sustainability Report and ESG Fact Sheet to drive transparency and trust with stakeholders. 

Internally, IFS focuses on scaling its own sustainability performance across global operations while embedding ESG capabilities into its products so customers can do the same.

About Sophie Graham, Chief Sustainability Officer

Sophie Graham was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer at IFS in 2024, having led Sustainability and ESG at the company since 2021. 

Her mandate is to oversee the successful delivery of IFS’s sustainability strategy, working closely with the Executive Leadership Team to scale impact at pace across all regions and functions.

Sophie champions a three‑pillar approach – improving IFS’s own operations, enabling customers’ transitions and driving community impact – and has emerged as a prominent spokesperson and thought leader on ESG and digital transformation.

Sustainability Management in IFS Cloud

The Sustainability Management module in IFS Cloud is designed as a central nerve centre for ESG data, providing one location for sustainability‑related information across entities and business units. 

It streamlines complex data collection, analysis and reporting, supported by an extensive KPI library and “out‑of‑the‑box” CSRD‑aligned metrics, plus the ability to create custom indicators.

Organisations can set long‑term goals, link them to specific KPIs, track performance over time and generate disclosures that meet evolving regulatory requirements such as CSRD, all while using insights to optimise resources and minimise waste.

Putting data to work

IFS also emphasises the use of industrial AI within IFS Cloud to turn this data into action, optimising asset performance, reducing downtime and waste, and guiding operational decisions that cut emissions and improve efficiency.

By integrating Sustainability Management directly into the operational core rather than treating it as a bolt‑on, IFS aims to help customers move from retrospective ESG reporting to real‑time, performance‑driven sustainability management.