Why Are Data Centres Driving NTT Data’s Green Shift?
NTT Data has revised its sustainability materiality framework to reflect the changing demands placed on its business, including the expansion of its data centre footprint and the acceleration of AI adoption.
The new framework introduces 13 priority topics across environmental, economic and social areas and aligns with the company’s integration into the wider NTT Group.
The update builds on the firm’s previous framework established in 2022 and is intended to guide long term sustainability planning as digital infrastructure becomes more resource intensive.
Data centre growth prompts reassessment
NTT Data says the new materiality framework responds to the need to consider how its operations affect stakeholders as the organisation grows. The company noted in its announcement of the shift: “It has become increasingly important to consider the impact that NTT DATA has on its stakeholders.”
- In sustainability, materiality refers to the most significant ESG issues for a company and its stakeholders. Identifying its materiality allows an organisation to prioritise the sustainability topics that matter most, allowing them to focus their strategy and reporting on the areas that could impact their financial performance, or have a genuine impact on people and the environment.
A key driver behind the update is the significant increase in data centre activity across the NTT Group. NTT Data has expanded its global colocation and hyperscale footprint in recent years and this has placed greater focus on the environmental performance of its facilities, from energy use to water consumption.
The revised priorities are organised under three pillars: Planet Positive, Prosperity Positive and People Positive. Each includes topics connected to data centre operations and the impacts of AI infrastructure.
Environmental priorities shaped by cooling and energy demand
Under the Planet Positive pillar, NTT Data highlights climate change, circularity and water management as core topics. Water management is a notable addition and reflects the resource demands of data centre cooling systems, which can consume millions of litres annually depending on design and climate.
Cooling has become a central sustainability issue for operators as rising rack densities and the use of AI accelerators increase heat output. The inclusion of this topic suggests NTT Data is placing greater emphasis on tracking and reducing water use across the sites it operates or relies on.
Climate change remains a central category as data centres represent a growing share of global electricity demand. The International Energy Agency estimates they account for around 1.5% of worldwide consumption, a figure expected to increase markedly as AI workloads scale.
Technology and governance priorities linked to AI growth
The Prosperity Positive pillar includes responsible technology and AI ethics, digital safety and reliability, sustainable supply chain practices and secure and sustainable-by-design services.
These topics reflect the company’s need to balance innovation with governance as AI becomes more widely embedded across its offerings and those of its clients.
Governments are developing regulatory frameworks for AI deployment and responsible technology is becoming a material issue for firms operating data platforms. NTT Data’s addition of AI ethics signals an intent to align internal processes with emerging standards.
Digital safety and reliability link to data centre operations, where uptime, secure hosting and resilience underpin customer services.
Social priorities for a global technology workforce
The People Positive pillar focuses on workforce topics such as diversity and inclusion, health and safety, human rights and digital accessibility.
These areas underpin the company’s position as one of the world’s largest technology employers, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and operating in more than 50 countries.
As part of the broader NTT Group, NTT Data benefits from an annual research and development budget exceeding US$3.6 billion and the updated framework reflects the scale of its operations and their global impact.
Integrating sustainability into expanding infrastructure
Data centre expansion and the increasing energy intensity of AI workloads have placed additional scrutiny on large technology providers.
NTT Data’s refreshed materiality framework is designed to guide the organisation’s approach as it embeds sustainability practices into its digital infrastructure.
The company has committed to promoting sustainability management based on the new priorities and will need to integrate these topics into operational decisions across its data centre estate and technology services.
