Gartner Says Indian Green IT And Sustainability Spend To Reach $70 Billion by 2015

Information And Communication Technology (ICT) Industry Will Be The Early Adopter Of Green IT And Sustainability Solutions In India

Mumbai, India - By 2015, India’s spending on green IT and sustainability initiatives will double from $35 billion in 2010 to $70 billion in 2015, according to Gartner, Inc.

In the Gartner report “Hype Cycle for Green IT and Sustainability in India, 2011,” analysts said green IT and sustainability have found their way into the IT organizations of many industries in India. Although still buzzwords for many, they will soon emerge as top priorities for businesses, investors and technology professionals across industries and policymakers in India.

“India’s information and communication technology (ICT) industry will be an early adopter of green IT and sustainability solutions as India is one of the fastest-growing markets in terms of IT hardware and communications infrastructure consumption, “ said Ganesh Ramamoorthy, research director at Gartner. “As enterprises embrace IT to improve productivity and drive growth, penetration of ICT infrastructure has been growing rapidly during the past decade, as has the energy consumption and resulting carbon emissions of India’s ICT infrastructure.”

Apart from the ICT industry, the banking and financial services, hospitality, manufacturing (such as automobiles), pharmaceuticals, and other industries that have significant exposure to the export markets, will also join the green IT and sustainability trend early in India. In other industries, addressing energy, carbon, resource efficiency and sustainable economic development is currently still in the early stages.

“Indian businesses will initially start adapting solutions that have been tried and tested in developed nations, but tailored to the Indian market’s needs and conditions. However, the unique challenges faced by India, such as an unreliable power infrastructure, a growing urban-rural divide, and increasing population migration to urban areas, will also provide businesses with the opportunity to innovate and test new cost-effective approaches and green technology solutions. These solutions may then be adapted elsewhere — in other developing, or even developed, nations,“ said Mr. Ramamoorthy.

Gartner presents its views on the state of adaption of some of the most innovative and significant technologies and business models relating to green IT and sustainability in India in the Hype Cycle report. The Hype Cycle for green IT and sustainability in India (Figure 1), describes and analyzes some of the emerging ICT-enabled technological solutions — and adaptations of existing technologies — that can help Indian businesses to achieve the benefits of sustainability.

“While awareness of green IT and sustainability issues is very low in Indian organizations, the increasing global focus on energy efficiency, energy security, green IT and sustainability issues is now causing the executive leadership in the technology sector to track, report and manage sustainable and resource-efficient business practices,” Mr. Ramamoorthy said.

“Simultaneously, the operational cost of making energy-efficient resources available is pressuring CIOs in Indian companies to develop strategies to optimize ICT utilization — including companywide energy management — while not compromising on the growth or deployment of newer technologies,” Mr. Ramamoorthy said. “We are already beginning to see the use of energy-efficient technology in data centers, manufacturing facilities and public buildings in India. While home energy management solutions in residences are still in the very early stages, they are increasingly tested in newly-built urban areas and gated communities.“

Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Hype Cycle for Green IT and Sustainability in India, 2011" The report is available on Gartner’ Web site at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1751914.

Gartner analysts will discuss the trends, innovation, current and future directions of IT and emerging technology trends for 2012, with a specific focus on the Indian business environment moving into 2012 and beyond at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2011 being held on 21 – 23 November 2011 in Mumbai. For further information about the event, please visit http://www.gartner.com/technology/symposium/india/index.jsp

Members of the media can register for the Symposium by contacting Sony Shetty at sony.shetty@gartner.com.

About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 11,500 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,500 associates, including 1,250 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.