ZTE CDO Cui Li highlights efficient and green AI as a driver of SDGs progress at AI for Good Global Summit

Details: James Barton; Category: Energy & Sustainability; 11 July 2025; 4481 views

At the AI for Good Global Summit 2025 in Geneva, ZTE’s Chief Development Officer (CDO) Cui Li delivered a speech at a workshop themed “Navigating the Intersect of AI, Environment and Energy for a Sustainable Future".

Li spoke about ZTE's efforts to drive efficient and green AI, and to deepen the integration of AI with ICT technologies and products, with the goal of accelerating AI accessibility and low-carbon transformation of society.

Li observed that the latest AI surge, driven by large language models, is sweeping the world at incredible speed. This rapid advance is accompanied by soaring computing demands and surging energy consumption. Achieving sustainable AI has therefore become an industry-wide imperative, and the key lies in defining a clear and efficient pathway. Framing the issue from two perspectives—"Energy for AI" and "AI for Energy"—she outlined how companies can scale AI in a greener, more efficient manner and, in turn, harness AI to drive an energy transition that cuts costs, improves efficiency, and supports a low-carbon future.

In terms of "Energy for AI", Li emphasized that the industry faces an "Inverted Triangle Dilemma" and efficiency holds the key to solving the dilemma. In response, ZTE is tackling the issue on three levels—developing efficient infrastructure, enabling efficient intelligence enhancement, and accelerating impact through efficiency—collectively driving the efficient and green development of AI.

With respect to "AI for Energy", she highlighted that under the core strategy of "AI for All", ZTE has deeply integrated AI with its ICT technologies and products to build full-stack intelligent solutions. The company is now deploying AI capabilities across industrial, household and consumer scenarios, enabling cost-efficiency, operational gains and a lower-carbon trajectory for the wider economy.

AI for Good is organized by ITU in partnership with over 40 UN Sister Agencies and co-convened with the Government of Switzerland, committed to identifying innovative AI applications, building skills and standards, and advancing partnerships to solve global challenges. Since the inaugural AI for Good Global Summit in 2017, which brought together over 400 top-minds in AI, the platform has grown far beyond its origins, evolving into a vibrant multi-stakeholder community including governments, academia, industry, civil society and UN.