Automated CI systems, large-scale dependency scanners, and ephemeral container builds, which are often operated by companies, place enormous strain on infrastructure. These commercial-scale workloads often run without caching, throttling, or even awareness of the strain they impose. The rise of Generative and Agentic AI is driving a further explosion of machine-driven, often wasteful automated usage, compounding the existing challenges.

The illusion of “free and infinite” infrastructure encourages wasteful usage.

It is time to adopt practical and sustainable approaches that better align usage with costs. While each ecosystem will adopt the approaches that make the most sense in its own context, the need for action is universal.