Luis Neves in China: AI, Sustainability, and the Need for Smarter Collaboration

In a recent media interview in China, GeSI CEO Luis Neves argued that the debate around AI and sustainability must move beyond narrow concerns about energy use — and toward practical collaboration across sectors. 

As AI accelerates global investment in data centres and digital infrastructure, concerns over energy demand, water use, and rising emissions are growing. Speaking during a recent media interview in China, GeSI CEO Luis Neves said these concerns are valid — but the conversation is often too narrow. 

His message was clear: AI does require more energy and infrastructure, but that is only part of the picture. The more important question is how digital technologies are deployed so they create greater value for people, the economy, and the planet than the footprint they generate. 

Luis pointed to GeSI’s long-standing research, including SMART 2020 and subsequent studies, which showed that while the digital sector has its own environmental impact, digital technologies can also enable far greater emissions reductions across the wider economy through efficiency, optimisation, and systems transformation. 

He stressed that the challenge is not only about digital growth, but about whether energy systems, infrastructure planning, and policy frameworks are evolving fast enough to support that growth responsibly. Water, he added, must also be part of the discussion, as data centres often depend on water for cooling in a world already facing increasing resource pressure. 

For Luis, the answer is not to slow innovation, but to move beyond siloed thinking. Digital, energy, water, infrastructure, and policy must be addressed together. Collaboration, not fragmentation, will determine whether AI becomes a driver of sustainable progress. 

That is also the thinking behind the Digital with Purpose Summit 2026, which will take place in Shenzhen from 26 to 28 June. As Luis noted in the interview, the Summit will bring together leaders from business, policy, and innovation to explore how digital technologies can support sustainability, competitiveness, and resilience in practical terms. 

The Summit will focus on some of the most urgent issues shaping the next phase of digital transformation, including digital infrastructure, energy, water, supply chains, cities, and education. It will also highlight the importance of stronger cooperation between Europe and Asia at a time when AI and sustainability challenges are becoming increasingly global. 

Luis also underlined China’s importance in this transition, pointing to its scale, industrial capacity, and leadership in areas such as renewable energy, storage, and digital innovation. 

His conclusion was simple: the future of AI and sustainability will depend not on isolation, but on collaboration — and on ensuring that digital transformation is developed with purpose.