AI-generated illustration
Publicis Sapient and Schneider Electric announced a partnership on October 19, 2026, using the e-footprint solution to evaluate the environmental impact of digital systems. The initiative applies open-source assessment tools to analyze software-defined architectures and artificial intelligence workloads across multiple enterprise environments.
Assessing Full Digital Architecture
Traditional sustainability evaluations frequently examine only the life cycle of individual hardware products. In contrast, the joint effort assesses entire operational setups spanning field devices, networks, and data center facilities. Consequently, technical teams can observe how structural software choices influence long-term carbon emissions.
The engineering teams evaluated multiple technology configurations for energy management systems during testing. Specifically, Schneider Electric utilized industrial computers to replace single-purpose hardware with generic units managed entirely through software. This structural design reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40% compared with the original setup.
Capabilities of the e-footprint solution
Hosted within the Boavizta project, the e-footprint solution provides direct measurements for digital operations. Organizations can examine emissions from end-user devices through to core cloud computing platforms. Furthermore, the transparent modelling framework lets teams review the mathematical assumptions behind every calculation before building systems.
- Measure the environmental impact across end-to-end digital services
- Compare cloud, edge, and hybrid designs before implementation
- Identify major emission sources across devices and networks
- Integrate environmental data into engineering and architectural choices
Strategic Implementation in Saudi Arabia
Ashwaq Alshathri, Group Vice President and Country Managing Director for Saudi Arabia at Publicis Sapient, stated that designing technology properly is as critical as what is built. She emphasized that engineering choices must integrate sustainability indicators from initial project stages.
“As Saudi Arabia continues to accelerate its digital transformation and adoption of AI, how we design technology is becoming as important as what we build. Sustainability needs to be considered from the outset, as part of the architecture and engineering decisions behind digital and AI-enabled services.”
Ashwaq Alshathri, Group Vice President and Country Managing Director for Saudi Arabia, Publicis Sapient
Lise Malbernard, Country Managing Director for France at Publicis Sapient, said carbon measurements provide real value only when they drive operational decisions. In addition, Roland Bohrer, System Architect at Schneider Electric, noted that software-defined systems make assessing environmental footprints increasingly complex.
Long-Term Technical Impact
Through the e-footprint solution, enterprises can test complex designs before deployment. The platform clarifies emissions related to workload placement across hybrid networks. As a result, technical leaders can balance operational capacity against environmental targets while expanding digital infrastructure in regional markets.
