{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T22:44:23Z","timestamp":1784933063717,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,13]],"date-time":"2026-06-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781308800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["72304051"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["72304051"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["72004085"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["72004085"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["72304051"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["72304051"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["72004085"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["72004085"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Information infrastructure is essential for digital transformation and AI-enabled services, but its operation also involves high electricity consumption and carbon emissions. This study develops a tripartite evolutionary game model involving the government, information-infrastructure operators and the public, and integrates it with system dynamics to examine how regulatory mechanisms influence operators\u2019 net-zero behaviours. The model focuses on operational-stage information infrastructure. Initial parameters are calibrated using the 2023 China Statistical Yearbook on Resources and Environment and expert consultation, with key variables measured by operational revenue, net-zero costs, regulatory costs, incentives, penalties, public scrutiny costs and environmental losses. The results show that operators\u2019 net-zero behaviours may fluctuate under weak or static regulation. Government incentives, penalties and public scrutiny can promote net-zero operations, while dynamic reward\u2013penalty mechanisms are more effective in stabilising behavioural evolution. This study extends evolutionary game theory and system dynamics to the net-zero governance of information infrastructure and provides an adaptive regulatory framework for coordinating government regulation, operator behaviour and public participation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems14060680","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T09:06:52Z","timestamp":1781600812000},"page":"680","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Enabling Net-Zero Operations in Information Infrastructure: A Dynamic Regulatory Analysis Based on Evolutionary Game and System Dynamics"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Handong","family":"Tang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0076-2534","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Policy and Administration, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400044, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0765-3584","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Henry J.","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Design & the Built Environment, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1140-7901","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jianfeng","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105169","DOI":"10.1016\/j.resconrec.2020.105169","article-title":"A critical analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and ecosystems and opportunities for circular economy strategies","volume":"164","author":"Mustapha","year":"2021","journal-title":"Resour. 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