Environmental Impact of Information Technology in Industrial Systems: Intelligent Assessment and Mitigation Strategies

This master's thesis explores the environmental impact of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure within manufacturing companies and proposes intelligent assessment and mitigation strategies. The study shows the role of IT infrastructure across all the department of a company like product development, production processes and business cycles. It investigates the environmental implications of hardware components and software, including raw materials, infrastructure design, green coding practices and data load optimization. Additionally, related aspects such as production optimization and digitalization in the context of companies are examined for their environmental effects. This thesis introduces a practical framework to understand and reduce the environmental impact of IT systems in manufacturing companies. It covers different steps like data collection, machine learning-based training and testing using logistic regression, decision-making processes, implementation of changes, and result evaluation. By using this framework, companies can better see how their IT systems affect the environment with graphical and analytical insight. Companies can also find ways to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact with decision-making support tools integrated into the framework that facilitate informed strategic choices. Case study illustrating scenarios of rightsized, overutilized, and underutilized IT systems is analyzed, offering practical application of the proposed framework. Through systematic analysis, the case study offers valuable insights into the effectiveness of the framework in identifying and addressing environmental challenges associated with IT infrastructure. The results of the case study demonstrate the potential for significant Co2 emission savings achievable through the implementation of the proposed framework and the adoption of tailored mitigation strategies.