In today’s automotive landscape, innovation is no longer limited to engines and exteriors—it is powered by data. As vehicles become smarter, more connected, and increasingly autonomous, automotive manufacturers like Mahindra & Mahindra are generating massive amounts of data every second. But with this digital transformation comes a new responsibility: managing data sustainably.
Trinet Technologies partnered with Mahindra & Mahindra to implement the Sustainable Data Utility (SDU) Framework, a strategic approach to ensure that every byte of data adds business value without compromising environmental responsibility. The SDU Framework enables auto companies to reduce energy use, minimize e-waste, and improve operational efficiency through purposeful, intelligent data management.
The Challenge: Data Growth, Waste, and Environmental Cost
The rise of connected and autonomous vehicles means a single car can generate up to 4,000 GB of data daily. From real-time diagnostics to location tracking and driver behavior, this data explosion presents major sustainability and operational challenges:
- Energy-intensive data centers strain power grids
- Dark data (unused and unstructured data) consumes storage resources
- Frequent hardware upgrades contribute to rising e-waste
- Redundant data processes inflate costs and carbon footprints
Despite capturing vast amounts of data, most organizations use less than 35% of it meaningfully. The rest becomes digital clutter—expensive to store, difficult to manage, and environmentally harmful.
The Solution: Sustainable Data Utility (SDU) Framework
To tackle these challenges, Trinet Technologies deployed the SDU Framework across Mahindra & Mahindra’s digital infrastructure. The framework rests on four strategic pillars:
- Only collect what matters. By defining clear data utility goals, Mahindra & Mahindra avoids wasteful data collection and focuses on high-value use cases like predictive maintenance and personalized driver insights.
- With Zero Copy Architecture, data is processed efficiently with minimal movement, reducing CPU cycles and energy use. Edge computing filters low-value data before it reaches the cloud, ensuring lean, localized analytics.
- Data is audited regularly to identify and remove redundant files. Tiered storage separates critical data from less-used records, while cloud providers with carbon-neutral infrastructure ensure eco-friendly operations.
- Data pipelines are aligned with business objectives, enabling real-time decision-making, operational efficiency, and personalized experiences. Feedback loops ensure continuous improvement based on energy-to-impact ratios.
“Sustainable data management is no longer optional—it is essential. Our SDU Framework enables clients like Mahindra & Mahindra to turn data into a strategic, eco-conscious asset that drives growth without compromising the planet.”
Enabling Sustainability with Zero Copy Architecture
At the core of this transformation is Zero Copy—a technology that minimizes energy usage by avoiding unnecessary duplication during data transfers. Mahindra & Mahindra uses Zero Copy in diagnostic systems to enable faster, more efficient analytics without straining cloud servers. The result: faster insights, lower energy bills, and smaller carbon footprints.
The integration of this technology into the SDU Framework ensures:
- Reduced infrastructure demand
- Lower processing latency
- Efficient storage without redundancy
The Five-Step SDU Framework in Action
To embed sustainability across the data lifecycle, Trinet Technologies implemented the following five-step framework for Mahindra & Mahindra:
- Define Data Utility Goals – Align business and ESG priorities
- Collect Smartly – Filter and validate data at the edge
- Process Efficiently – Use Zero Copy and energy-aware AI
- Store Sustainably – Audit, compress, and use green cloud storage
- Measure Impact – Track energy-to-value performance with feedback loops
This structured approach transformed Mahindra & Mahindra’s data strategy from reactive storage to proactive value generation.
