Workshop of the 'Sustainability and the Internet' IRTF Research Group,
July 16-17, 2026, at the University of Passau
How can the internet and the electricity grid work together more effectively in future to use energy more efficiently and drive forward the energy transition? International experts addressed this question at the University of Passau on 16 and 17 July. The workshop ‘The Internet meets the Electricity Grid: Technical Standards and Societal Challenges’, organised by the Sustainability and the Internet Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF), brought together specialists from the fields of internet protocols, electricity grid infrastructure and sustainability.
The event was prompted by a development that is becoming increasingly significant for society: Digitalisation, and in particular the rapid expansion of high-performance AI data centres, is leading to a sharp rise in global demand for electricity, water and land. As a result, the question of how digital infrastructures and energy supply can be jointly planned and designed sustainably in the future is coming increasingly into focus. The workshop addressed this challenge and discussed how the internet and the electricity grid can be better coordinated in the future.
The workshop at the University of Passau was hosted by the Chair of Computer Networks and Computer Communication, headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hermann de Meer, and the Climate Protection Unit. The aim of the event was to promote dialogue between two infrastructure sectors that had hitherto developed largely independently of one another, and to develop joint approaches to a sustainable digital and energy infrastructure.
The academic programme was conceived and organised by Ali Rezaki (Nokia), Prof. Eve Schooler, PhD (University of Oxford), Prof. Dr Michael Welzl (University of Oslo) and Prof. Dr-Ing Hermann de Meer (University of Passau). The team led by Professor de Meer, comprising Anuschka Loibl and Stefan Schröder, acted as local organisers at the University of Passau.
“Until now, the two major technical infrastructures of our society – the internet and the electricity grid – have been developed largely independently of one another. This makes it all the more important to consider their future development jointly,” explains host Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hermann de Meer from the University of Passau. “With the rapid growth of data-intensive applications and AI systems, the resource requirements of digital infrastructures are also rising significantly. Only when information and energy infrastructures interact intelligently can we fully harness the potential of digitalisation for a sustainable energy supply. This requires common technical standards and intensive dialogue between research, standardisation bodies and industry.”
32 international participants from the fields of academia, standardisation and industry accepted the invitation to Passau. In addition to specialist presentations and panel discussions, the programme included interactive workshop sessions. Among other things, discussions centred on which key performance indicators and standards are suitable for transparently recording and making comparable energy consumption, sustainability and responsibilities in the interplay between the internet and the electricity grid. The focus was also on the contribution that the internet and the international networking community can make to the sustainable design of future energy systems, as well as the technical and societal challenges arising from the increasing interconnection of information and energy infrastructure. Another key issue was how the growing resource requirements of digital services – particularly those arising from AI applications and large data centres – can be better reconciled with the demands of a sustainable energy supply in the future.
The workshop highlighted that close cooperation between the fields of information technology and energy technology is crucial to jointly driving forward digitalisation and the energy transition. The participants agreed that the development of common standards and interdisciplinary exchange are essential prerequisites for this.
For the University of Passau, the event forms part of a wider context. Within the strategic focus area of ‘Sustainable Change’, researchers are developing solutions to pressing societal challenges – ranging from climate change and resource consumption to social justice and global responsibility. The sustainable integration of information and energy infrastructure is a key issue for the future.
“The major challenges of our time can only be tackled through an interdisciplinary approach. This workshop demonstrates, through examples, how computer science, engineering and sustainability research can work together to develop solutions for a sustainable future. Given the rapidly growing demand for resources driven by digital infrastructure, internet and energy experts will need to collaborate even more closely in future.”
“The international workshop in Passau, featuring distinguished guests, highlights the importance of our strategic focus area ‘Sustainable Change’ and our commitment to combining academic excellence with social responsibility. Shaping digitalisation in a sustainable way is one of the key challenges facing our society in the future, and our university also bears responsibility for addressing this challenge.”
Die Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) ist eine internationale Forschungsgemeinschaft, die sich mit langfristigen Fragestellungen zur Weiterentwicklung des Internets befasst. Sie ergänzt die Arbeit der Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), die offene Internetstandards und Best Practices entwickelt, welche die Funktionsweise und Interoperabilität des Internets weltweit sicherstellen. Die im Rahmen der IRTF entwickelten Forschungsergebnisse bilden häufig die Grundlage für zukünftige Internetstandards und Innovationen.
