Globe Showcases AI-Driven Energy Savings at MWC 2026

Globe used Mobile World Congress 2026 to position artificial intelligence not only as a growth technology, but as a tool for reducing the energy intensity of digital infrastructure. The Philippine telecom operator said it is applying AI across its network operations to analyse traffic patterns and adjust power use at cell sites during lower-demand periods, allowing it to cut electricity consumption without affecting service quality. Globe presented this approach during the GSMA session “AI’s Energy Bill,” where participants also included representatives from Google, Schneider Electric, ARGIA Green, and the International Energy Agency.

That framing matters because telecom networks run continuously and remain highly energy intensive. As AI adoption expands, operators are under growing pressure to show that digital growth does not automatically translate into a steeper emissions and electricity burden. Globe’s message at MWC was that AI can become part of the solution if it is used to optimise infrastructure, cooling, and network performance rather than only adding new layers of demand.

 

Efficiency gains are being tied to network operations and cooling systems

 

The most concrete operational figure highlighted by Globe is a reported 20% to 30% annual energy saving from AI being used to regulate the cooling of piping systems and reduce electricity use. The company also said it has rolled out sodium-nickel batteries and cooling technologies that reduce the need for energy-intensive air conditioning across parts of its network infrastructure. These measures indicate that Globe is not treating efficiency as a single software intervention, but as a combination of AI-led optimisation and hardware changes in energy storage and cooling.

This is important because cooling remains one of the largest non-core energy loads in telecom and digital infrastructure. If Globe can sustain savings in the 20% to 30% range in relevant systems, that would make AI useful not only for traffic management but also for lowering the operational energy intensity of infrastructure that runs around the clock. The broader significance of that is an inference based on the company’s published claims about cooling and site optimisation.

 

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The company is pairing efficiency with a larger renewable electricity shift

 

Globe also tied its AI message to a wider renewable energy transition. According to the company’s MWC remarks, it is targeting at least 42% renewable electricity use by 2030, up from a 24% share in 2024. That creates a clearer long-term trajectory for decarbonising operational electricity use while digital demand continues to rise.

The renewable target is especially relevant in a telecom context because network operators cannot easily reduce service availability to cut energy demand. Their decarbonisation path depends heavily on making infrastructure more efficient while shifting the electricity that remains toward cleaner sources. Globe’s strategy appears to be built around exactly that combination: lower energy intensity through AI and engineering improvements, alongside a gradual increase in renewable supply. This interpretation is an inference based on the company’s stated targets and technology measures.

 

Emissions performance is moving faster than the company’s earlier linear pathway

 

Globe said it has achieved a year-on-year 15% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 9% reduction in Scope 3 emissions, exceeding its earlier linear annual reduction rates of 4.2% and 2.5% respectively. At the same time, the company said it plans to resubmit its emissions inventory to the Science Based Targets initiative and use 2025 as a new baseline year to reflect its evolving business strategy.

That combination suggests Globe is trying to do two things at once. First, it wants to show that recent emissions progress is outperforming earlier reduction assumptions. Second, it is acknowledging that business changes may require recalibration of its net zero pathway and target architecture. For executives and investors, this is a more credible posture than simply repeating older climate targets unchanged if the operating footprint has materially shifted. The point about credibility is an inference based on Globe’s disclosed intention to reset the baseline year.

 

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Globe is positioning itself as part of a wider energy transition conversation

 

The company also used the MWC platform to push a broader policy and system message. Yoly Crisanto said more flexible electricity grids and wider deployment of renewable energy will be important to support both digital growth and climate action. That is a notable position because it places telecom sustainability in the context of national and grid-level energy transition, rather than treating it only as an internal efficiency programme.

Globe linked this stance to the Philippines’ wider renewable energy goals, saying it supports the government’s target of a 35% renewable share in the national energy mix by 2030. If digital infrastructure demand continues to rise with AI, telecom operators will increasingly depend on external grid reform as well as internal optimisation. This makes collaboration between industry and government more important than standalone corporate targets alone. The policy significance here is an inference drawn from the company’s remarks and the structure of its renewable ambition.

 

Recognition adds support, but the operational numbers are the real story

 

Globe also pointed to recent sustainability recognition, including an A- climate score from CDP in 2025 and inclusion in TIME and Statista’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2025 list. Those recognitions strengthen the company’s external sustainability profile, but the more important takeaway from the MWC discussion is operational: Globe is trying to show that AI can help lower network electricity consumption while supporting a larger renewable transition and a recalibrated emissions pathway.

The bigger significance is that telecom operators are starting to frame AI less as a sustainability threat and more as an infrastructure management tool. Whether that framing holds will depend on whether the efficiency gains are large enough to offset some of the additional digital energy demand that AI brings. Globe’s 20% to 30% cooling-related savings and 42% renewable electricity target make it one of the clearer examples of how an operator is trying to answer that question in practical terms. This final conclusion is an inference based on the company’s reported actions and targets.