Prosus publishes the first chapter in its 'Green Intelligence' paper series, in which we explore perspectives on harnessing the immense potential of AI for all its promise, while respecting the boundaries of the planet. Chapter 1 sets out what we know about AI's environmental footprint, what we don't, and what needs to be done to close the gap.
Read the report here.
AI can feel intangible. It is anything but. Every query answered and every model trained depends on physical infrastructure: data centres, chips, electricity grids and cooling systems. Understanding that footprint is part of deploying AI well.
Prosus deploys AI at a scale few companies match. Our Large Commerce Model powers experiences across the portfolio, Toqan puts AI in the hands of every employee, and our companies have built tens of thousands of AI agents. We see AI as a generation-defining opportunity for our 2 billion customers, and we believe that opportunity is greatest when it is built responsibly.
That is why we are launching Green Intelligence, a paper series on developing and operating AI with respect for the boundaries of our planet. Chapter 1 is published today.
Chapter 1 - the problem statement
The first chapter takes a clear-eyed view of what can and cannot yet be measured. Most of our AI runs on third-party cloud infrastructure, which places its emissions within scope 3 of our carbon accounting. Today's estimates are spend-based, a useful starting point that offers limited insight into actual energy use. Site-level energy and water data from cloud providers remains scarce, a challenge shared across the industry. Better data will allow us, and the sector as a whole, to confirm that efficiency gains keep pace with growing adoption.
Rather than wait for complete information, we are sharing our assessment now. Transparency is what moves measurement forward, and we would rather help set that standard than follow it.
Why this matters
AI adoption is accelerating, and transparency should accelerate with it. Companies that deploy AI at scale are well placed to improve measurement, raise standards and demonstrate that growth and sustainability can advance together. We believe openness serves our customers, our investors and the wider industry: share what we know, be clear about what we are still working to measure, and welcome the scrutiny that makes the work better. Green intelligence is not a constraint on our AI ambition; it is what makes that ambition durable. An AI-first world will be at its best when it is built within the means of the planet.
What comes next
Chapter 1 frames both the challenge and the opportunity. The chapters that follow will each take a different lens: technical, governance, investment, policy and societal. Our commitment across all of them is consistent: act now, share what we know and challenge businesses to reflect on how they can improve their AI deployment and development.
About Prosus
Prosus is the power behind the world’s leading lifestyle ecommerce brands, across Europe, India, and Latin America, unlocking an AI-first world for our 2 billion customers.
The Prosus technology ecosystem spans food delivery, payments, classifieds, travel, events, and mobility. Our integrated approach enhances user engagement and creates the foundation for unprecedented AI capabilities through proprietary data and cross-service intelligence.
Through Prosus Ventures, we invest in companies which inspire and support the Prosus ecosystem. We search for new opportunities at the leading edge of AI and ecommerce, the digital AI workforce and in frontier technologies, such as robotics, drones and synbio.
The team actively backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are using technology to improve people’s everyday lives.
To find out more, please visit www.prosus.com.
