Cloud Trends: Sustainability Gains Importance in 2025

While some companies are already pulling workloads back from the cloud, many others are only now beginning their migration. This shift makes it essential to place even greater emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability, as SoftwareOne predicts.

The Key Points at a Glance

• In 2025, the cloud landscape will be reshaped by AI, regulation, and sustainability demands.
• AI and cloud computing are set to drive global energy demand up by 160% by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs.
• Data centers could generate around 2.5 billion metric tons of CO₂ by 2030, Morgan Stanley warns.
• Cloud providers are increasingly turning to renewable energy and FinOps to boost efficiency.
• From February, EU AI guidelines will ban practices such as live facial recognition, impacting developers.

As netzwoche.ch reports, citing SoftwareOne from Wallisellen near Zurich (Switzerland), the cloud landscape in 2025 will undergo fundamental changes driven by new technologies and regulatory requirements. For businesses, this shift presents not only opportunities for growth and process optimization but also the chance to reduce emissions and their carbon footprint.

One of the biggest challenges in cloud computing is the surge in data center energy demand – fueled in part by AI – which is already pushing some U.S. utilities to their limits. Goldman Sachs forecasts that global demand, primarily driven by AI and cloud computing, will rise by 160% by 2030.

Another study by Morgan Stanley estimates that data centers, due to their increased energy consumption, will generate around 2.5 billion metric tons of CO₂ emissions by 2030. To counter this, cloud providers are accelerating their transition to renewable energy and adopting FinOps strategies to make cloud usage more efficient and sustainable.

New Regulations and Technologies in Cloud Computing

As Swiss software company SoftwareOne predicts, businesses developing AI solutions must brace for new regulations and adjust their strategies accordingly. In February, for instance, the EU’s new AI guidelines will take effect, including a ban on live facial recognition.

Edge computing combined with 5G is also set to play a pivotal role, unlocking real-time decision-making and autonomous driving in sectors like healthcare and automotive.

One area still underutilized is the cloud as a platform for quantum computing, which could democratize access to its immense processing speeds. SoftwareOne sees significant potential here.

In short, the cloud developments forecast by the Swiss firm present major opportunities – but they also demand adaptation to evolving regulatory and technological landscapes. Companies that tackle these challenges early will gain a decisive competitive edge.

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