The environmental impact of digital services has become an emerging issue. As AI emissions grow quickly (for example, Microsoft’s rose 23.4% and Google’s has risen 48% over the past 5 years) and water stress from cooling infrastructure intensifies, particularly in high-density data environments, the need for sustainable practices in digital services is more critical than ever.

This is where GreenOps comes into play, offering a comprehensive approach to embedding environmental accountability into every phase of digital service delivery.

The growing imperative for sustainability in digital services

The rise of AI and other advanced technologies has led to an escalation in energy consumption and carbon emissions. According to a 2025 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), global data center electricity demand is projected to more than double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 terawatt-hours (TWh). AI is identified as the most significant driver of this increase. Unfortunately, these emissions often grow unnoticed, lacking visibility or governance, exacerbating the problem.

Moreover, the cooling infrastructure required to maintain these high-performance systems places considerable stress on water resources, particularly in densely populated datacenters. It is estimated that training GPT-3 consumed approximately 700,000 litres of water for cooling according to research from the University of California, Riverside.

As these issues become more apparent, there is an increasing push for regulatory measures to ensure sustainability in digital services. Beyond regulations, organisations are faced with reputational and operational imperatives to adopt greener practices.

What is GreenOps?

GreenOps, short for green operations, is a framework that integrates sustainable practices into the operational lifecycle of your digital services. It goes beyond merely reporting environmental impact and offers actionable strategies to minimise it.

From the selection of low-impact architectures to the placement of workloads based on emissions data, GreenOps provides the tools and methodologies to effectively reduce the environmental footprint of digital operations.

Key benefits of GreenOps

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Reduced carbon footprint

By making informed decisions about your architecture and workload placement, you can significantly cut down your carbon emissions.

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Enhanced water efficiency

GreenOps strategies prioritise cooling methods that reduce water usage, thereby addressing the critical issue of water stress.

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Regulatory compliance

As governments introduce stricter regulations on environmental impact, GreenOps ensures that you remain compliant and avoid potential penalties.

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Operational excellence

Sustainable practices often lead to more efficient and cost-effective operations, benefiting your business financially.

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Improved reputation

Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability can enhance your businesses’ reputation among clients, stakeholders, and the broader community.

And it’s often more cost effective too! By optimising energy, carbon emissions and water usage, organisations are also reducing their consumption too, leading to lower operating costs. It’s the crossover of FinOps (or Financial Operations) with GreenOps, ensuring what makes environmental sense, often makes financial sense too.

How GreenOps works

GreenOps operates on the principle of integrating sustainability into every phase of your digital service delivery. This includes:

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Architecture selection

Choosing infrastructure that minimises environmental impact without compromising performance.

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Workload placement

Allocating tasks based on emissions data to ensure the most efficient use of resources.

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Continuous monitoring

Implementing systems to track and manage environmental impact in real-time.

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Optimisation

Regularly reviewing and optimising your practices to ensure ongoing sustainability improvements.

Version 1 GreenOps with EcoDelve

The case for GreenOps is compelling. As organisations face mounting pressures to adopt sustainable practices, GreenOps provides the framework and tools needed to make a genuine impact. It empowers businesses to act responsibly, ensuring that their digital operations contribute to the climate solution rather than exacerbate the problem.

At Version 1, we are committed to leading the charge in digital innovation while upholding environmental responsibility. Our new GreenOps capability, powered by Greenpixie, supports Version 1’s ASPIRE environmental level agreement across our managed services — embedding environmental accountability into every phase of our digital service delivery.

Through our new EcoDelve dashboard, we deliver precise, near real-time insights into:

  • Energy usage
  • Carbon emissions
  • Water impact

This applies not just to cloud workloads, but also to on-premises and AI-intensive environments enabling holistic sustainability reporting and optimisation across your entire digital estate.

Ready to make your digital estate part of the climate solution?

Contact us to learn more about how GreenOps can transform your operations for a sustainable future.