Connect | APAC // Major panel: Sustainability at breaking point - How do we rebuild momentum?

Across APAC, data centers are scaling at record pace to meet AI demand, but sustainability has slipped down the agenda. Efficiency remains a focus, but often for cost and performance reasons rather than carbon reduction. Operators face mounting pressure to deliver power-hungry facilities in months, not years, leaving little room for renewable integration or transparent reporting. Yet ignoring sustainability could become the industry’s next liability. Can growth and responsibility coexist in an age defined by speed? And what practical steps can the industry take to rebuild momentum around measurable sustainability progress?

This discussion will explore:

• How operators can embed sustainability in projects built under extreme time pressure
• What short-term, high-impact actions can cut carbon without slowing deployment
• Whether regulation, investor pressure, or market demand will ultimately restore balance
• How AI and high-density workloads are changing the definition of “sustainable design”
• Whether growing community pushbacks will force operators to prioritise sustainability sooner
• How to rebuild an industry-wide sense of responsibility without slowing progress
• The risks of deferring decarbonisation until “after the boom”