EIC Green Cases — Cherrydata: a Milan startup links high-performance databases to lower ICT carbon footprints
- ›Cherrydata, an Italian startup, took part in the EIC Greenhouse Gas Programme to measure and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
- ›The company says its high-performance scalable database can reduce required hardware capacity by a factor of 20 and so lower ICT-related emissions.
- ›Using the EIC GHG Tool helped Cherrydata create a baseline, set realistic short to long term goals, and obtain two of the programme badges.
- ›Implemented and planned measures include remote work, extending IT device lifespans, avoiding air travel, exploring an electric company car, and possible rooftop solar.
- ›The EIC GHG Tool and the broader GHG programme ran from January 2021 to December 2022 and the tool is no longer active for new users.
Cherrydata and the EIC GHG Programme
Cherrydata is a Milan based software company that develops a high performance, scalable database and provides consulting for big data technology projects. The company participated in the European Innovation Council Greenhouse Gas Programme that ran between January 2021 and December 2022. The initiative included an EIC GHG Tool that helped EIC beneficiaries calculate greenhouse gas emissions, model mitigation actions, and track progress. Cherrydata co founder and business developer Chiara Francalanci described how the programme supported the company in defining a practical green strategy and in identifying short, medium and long term interventions.
What Cherrydata offers and the emissions claim
Cherrydata markets a high performance database product and related services for real time AI and large scale geospatial and targeting applications. The company states that its database's performance reduces the need for hardware capacity by a factor of 20. The firm argues that lower hardware demand can reduce the carbon footprint of ICT systems built on their platform, and that this value proposition is attractive to customers including large firms in the energy sector.
How the EIC GHG Tool helped Cherrydata
Francalanci said the EIC GHG Tool helped Cherrydata create an emissions baseline and made clear which simple actions would move the needle. The consultancy and expert input provided through the programme supported the company in turning sensitivity to climate issues into concrete targets. Cherrydata obtained the first and second badges of the Badges and CO2 Neutral Label initiative attached to the EIC GHG programme.
Practical challenges Cherrydata encountered
Not all emissions data were easy to obtain. Cherrydata's offices are in a block with centralised heating so the company lacked site specific data for heat related emissions. That made it difficult to apportion heating emissions precisely to the company. The GHG Tool and expert guidance helped overcome that obstacle by enabling the team to create a baseline and model realistic reduction opportunities despite incomplete data.
Measures implemented and planned
| Measure | Status | Intended effect | Notes on likely impact and ROI |
| Encouraging remote work | Implemented | Lower commuting emissions and office energy use | Immediate operational saving potential but depends on employee patterns and home energy use |
| Avoiding air travel where possible | Implemented | Reduced business travel emissions | High per trip impact but depends on frequency and necessity of meetings |
| Extending lifespan of IT devices | Implemented | Reduces embodied emissions from manufacturing and disposal | Good low cost measure. Needs careful maintenance and security practices |
| Purchasing an electric company car | Under consideration | Reduces transport emissions if charged with low carbon electricity | Impact depends on electricity mix and vehicle usage |
| Installing solar panels on two terraces | Planned | Generate on site renewable electricity and lower office grid consumption | Feasibility depends on building rules, roof ownership and local regulations |
| Software driven hardware efficiency | Offered as product benefit to customers | Reduce server capacity needs and operating energy for data workloads | Customer deployment specifics will determine actual GHG reductions |
What Cherrydata says about outcomes
Francalanci expects the actions to have a positive effect in the long run across economic, environmental and social dimensions. She highlighted that participation strengthened the company narrative on sustainability and aligned with demand from private tenders, particularly in the energy industry. She also praised the role of GHG experts in the programme for helping the team set realistic short term, medium term and long term goals.
Critical context and caveats
Software efficiency can be an effective lever for reducing ICT energy use but should not be presented as a complete solution on its own. Claims of 20 times lower hardware needs require independent verification under realistic customer workloads and should be translated into expected emissions reductions using transparent boundary definitions. The GHG Tool followed the GHG Protocol which is a standard approach. Nonetheless the EIC programme and the tool covered a limited period and are not a substitute for full life cycle assessment when suppliers or customers need robust assurance.
Implications for other startups and final observations
The Cherrydata case illustrates how early stage technology firms can turn limited resources and internal motivation into a defined green strategy when provided a structured tool and advisory support. For startups seeking similar outcomes the practical lessons are to build an emissions baseline, prioritise low cost high impact measures, and validate software efficiency claims against actual deployment scenarios. Policymakers and funders should recognise that tools and badges help raise awareness but must be coupled with rigorous measurement standards if they are to drive verified emissions reductions at scale.
If you are an EIC funded company and want to investigate your emissions, note that the EIC GHG Tool was available to beneficiaries during the programme. The EIC Community tools page currently states the tool is no longer in use and that further activities will be announced by the EIC in the future. The Cherrydata account includes a standard disclaimer that material shared is for knowledge sharing and not an official position of the European Commission.