Microsoft Introduces Sustainability Features in Azure API Management to Cut Carbon Emissions

Microsoft has announced a major step toward greener cloud operations with the public preview of environmental sustainability features in Azure API Management. These tools are designed to help organizations minimize the environmental impact of their API infrastructures by making them carbon-aware and energy-efficient.

The company’s latest update is in line with its futuristic goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030 and removing all historical carbon emissions by 2050. As part of this vision, Microsoft already offers Azure Carbon Optimization and Microsoft Sustainability Manager. However, the new features go a step further, enabling APIs themselves to make smarter, eco-conscious routing decisions.

According to Microsoft, API Management can now shift or balance API traffic toward Azure regions with lower carbon intensity. Developers can configure backends to automatically favor “green” regions, reducing their infrastructure’s carbon footprint while maintaining performance. These carbon-intelligent load balancers dynamically reroute traffic based on real-time emissions data.

Additionally, the update introduces carbon-intelligent policies that adapt operations based on current carbon levels. For instance, developers can lower telemetry volume or extend caching when emissions are high. This effectively scales sustainability without compromising functionality.

The company has also extended these innovations to its GenAI release channel, helping AI workloads become more sustainable by default.

Microsoft says the preview is now open to users on classic tiers, with broader rollout planned soon. Moreover, interested organizations can sign up for early access through the official preview portal.