059910 VU Sustainability in Computer Science (2026W)

Sustainability is not an optional feature. Targeting economic, social, and ecological issues through sustainable development has become a must, not least since the publication of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.

Computer Science (CS), and more prominently and recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI), is hailed as the solution to many sustainability problems (and yes, it is!). Still, energy efficiency and CO2 reduction must be considered to ensure fair and ecological use of resources. Hence, dealing with informatics and sustainability involves two faces of the same coin: Sustainability with CS, often referred to as “Computational Sustainability”, and Sustainability for CS, commonly known as “Sustainable CS”.

This lecture series is the first of its kind in Austria, with all Austrian CS departments and faculties participating, under the auspices of Informatik Austria. We want to raise awareness for the utmost importance of sustainability in CS, demonstrating research solutions to various problems, and triggering developments for a sustainable future.

This course accompanies the series, which is offered as online lectures. The slides and recordings of the lectures will be made available to students after the presentations.