Scaling net zero: Modular delivery and AI as a blueprint for success

Climate Week NYC 2025 made one thing clear: despite political uncertainty, business and government leaders remain committed to climate action. Pragmatism is driving strategies, even as the journey to net zero shifts from a uniform path to a more fragmented landscape. Rather than stalling progress, these fractures can be harnessed as avenues for innovation and faster market response. The updated national climate plans (NDCs) presented at Climate Week sent positive signals to the real economy—demonstrating that, despite muted ambition in some quarters, businesses are responding with, value-driven climate strategies that set the stage for the next wave of climate ambition.

Amid this momentum, the race to net zero is not just a climate imperative, it’s also a driving force behind the surge in capital project investments. By the end of 2025, global infrastructure spending will exceed $9 trillion¹, yet 92% of capital projects still fail to meet their commitments.² That’s not just inefficiency—it’s a systemic barrier to decarbonization.

The net-zero infrastructure challenge

Net-zero infrastructure is complex, capital-intensive, and urgent. From green hydrogen to nuclear SMRs (small modular reactors), the technologies are ready—but the delivery model isn’t. To accelerate progress, we need green technology hubs that combine diverse power generation, energy storage and high-consumption sites for maximum impact.

Today…

• 90% of net-zero assets are treated as bespoke, one-off efforts, stalling progress and inflating costs.³
  
  
• 75% of decarbonization strategies chase short-term wins, risking long-term value.³

This fragmented approach is a dead end. If we’re serious about building the infrastructure that will power a net-zero future—renewables, carbon capture, electrified manufacturing—we must reinvent how we deliver it.  And that reinvention starts with AI-powered, human-led transformation.

Leading the paradigm shift: A unified model for scalable reinvention

Accenture’s research across both the Blueprint for Success and Powered for Change 2025 reports reveals a unified framework that executives must adopt for transforming capital project performance—especially those tied to net-zero goals.

1. Embrace modular, multigenerational delivery: Move from bespoke execution to a system where standardization, repeatable delivery and an AI-powered digital backbone become default. In green hydrogen, standardization could unlock a 35% cost advantage by 2035 and $60 billion in net present value by 2050—achieving parity a decade sooner than custom builds.³
   
   
2. Build the AI+Human engine: Invest just as much in talent, skills and cross-functional teaming as in digital and AI solutions—create knowledge hubs, codify knowledge to make it AI-ready transform lessons learned into actionable insights and cultivate a culture that embraces intelligent automation with AI.
   
   
3. Balance urgency with endurance: Early engagement with communities, agile supply chains and resilient leadership are non-negotiables for scaling sustainable infrastructure.
   
   
4. Champion change across the ecosystem: Don’t just mandate solutions—model them at every level, collaborating with suppliers, regulators and communities to embed repeatable success.

Together, these levers form a repeatable, scalable model for delivering net-zero infrastructure on time, under budget and in line with project commitments.