Sustainable IT Services News 26 December 2025: Google Parent Buys Data Center Energy Startup; Nvidia Acquires...; More

Here is today's sustainable IT services news, research and analysis for channel partners, MSPs, climate accounting professionals, consultants and the chief sustainability officers (CSOs) they serve.

A. Sustainable IT Partnerships, Strategic Alliances and Strategies

1. Market Predictions for 2026: Cisco CSO Mary de Wysocki foresees five sustainability trends for 2026. Related: Cisco sustainability strategy and channel partner implications and 2026 sustainability predictions.

2. Executive Leadership: Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), an electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysia, has named Datuk Mahamad Nazri Pazil as senior chief strategy and sustainability officer (SCSSO), effective January 2026. Related: List of sustainability executive updates for December 2025.

3. Eco-Friendly Laptops: Microsoft Surface laptops are eco-friendly devices, the company asserts. Related: Microsoft sustainability strategy and channel partner implications.

4. E-Waste Reduction: Google's A2UI (Agent to User Interface) is an open source protocol that transforms aging smart phone and tablets into useful thin-client screens, according to Intelligent Living. Related: Google sustainability strategy and data partner implications.

5. Research - Net Zero Buildings Market Growth Forecast: Annual sales in the global zero emission buildings market are expected to reach $198.1 billion by 2034, up from $34.2 Billion in 2024, according to Market.US. That's a 19.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the researcher said.

6. Research - ITAD Market Growth Forecast: The global market for refurbished IT asset disposition (ITAD) will reach $9.75 billion in 2034, up from $5.1 billion in 2025, according to Custom Market Insights (CMI). That's a 7.34% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the CMI said. Related: List of sustainability market research and forecast reports.

7. EV Charger Network Shutdown: Porsche AG, part of the Volkswagen, will reportedly shut down its proprietary EV charging stations in China -- which total around 200 locations, EV Infrastructure News stated based on a report from Chinese domestic financial news outlet Yicai Global.

8. Lawsuit: Writers including Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Carreyrou filed a copyright lawsuit accusing six AI giants of using pirated copies of their books to train large language models. The complaint claims Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, Meta Platforms, xAI and Perplexity committed a “deliberate act of theft.” (Source: Bloomberg Law). Related: List of AI industry lawsuits, court rulings and judgments.

9. Layoffs - Aviation: Twelve, a sustainable aviation startup, had two rounds of layoffs in 2025, Politico reported. Related: List of all sustainability industry layoffs.

B. Sustainable IT Investments, Funding, Earnings and Business Launches

1. M&A - Data Centers and Power Infrastructure: Alphabet, parent of Google, is acquiring Intersect, a provider of data center and energy infrastructure solutions. The purchase price: $4.75 billion in cash and the assumption of debt. Intersect co-locates dedicated gas and renewable power generation with data center infrastructure. The M&A deal surfaces one year after Google partnered with Intersect and TPG Rise Climate in December 2024.

2. M&A - AI Technology: Nvidia has agreed to buy assets from Groq, a designer of AI accelerator chips, for $20 billion in cash, according to Alex Davis, CEO of Disruptive, which led Groq's latest financing round in September 2025, CNBC reported. Related: Nvidia sustainability strategy and channel partner implications.

3. Investment: KKR has invested in Green Mobility Partners, an electric locomotive leasing company in Vienna. Financial terms, dollar figures and valuation figures were not disclosed.

C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies, Regulations and News

1. United States Climate Policy: The White House plans to break up a key weather and climate research center in Colorado, a move experts say could jeopardize the accuracy of forecasting and prediction systems, NPR reported. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, in a post on X, announced the plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, calling it "one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country," NPR noted.

2. United States - Wind Energy Policy: Equinor and Orsted are engaging with U.S. authorities over security concerns tied to their offshore wind projects, after the Trump administration issued another round of work suspension orders, Bloomberg reported.

3. COP31 Leader: Türkiye has officially designated Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum as president of COP31, formalizing the country's role as host of the major 2026 global summit, Türkiye Today reported.

D. Sustainability Conferences, Summits and Events

1. CES 2026 (January 6-9, Las Vegas)
2. World Future Energy Summit 2026 (January 13-15, UAE)
3. Sustainable and Impact Investments International Conference (January 22-23, Hamburg, Germany)
4. IMPACT Sustainability Travel and Tourism Summit 2026 (Victoria, BC, Canada)
5. Complete Sustainability Conference Calendar

E. Previous Updates & Future News

1. Previous News: All of our daily news updates are here.
2. Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.