Taking Responsibility Using Technology
Steve Dunbar, IoT Commercial Director for Microsoft Middle East & Africa, reveals how the regional giant plans to have a positive impact on global sustainability issues.
What are the main areas of sustainability that Microsoft is currently focusing on?
We are focusing on carbon, waste, water, and ecosystems, supported by five strategic pillars: operations, products and services, customers and partners, policy and employees.
We will explore and improve the way our products and facilities are sourced, manufactured, operated and managed at end of life, including our supply chain. The development of new technology and services will be driven by data, AI, and digital technology to power environmental sustainability, and to help our customers and partners around the world to reduce their own emissions.
As a company we intend to use our voice on climate-related public policy issues, supporting new public policy initiatives to accelerate opportunities. And of course we will not lose sight of the fact that our employees are our most important asset and resource in advancing innovation.
How is Microsoft working to reduce and ultimately remove its carbon footprint by 2030?
By 2030 we aim to be carbon negative and by 2050 we aim to remove from the atmosphere all the carbon dioxide we have emitted since we were founded in 1975. It’s a bold ambition, but our strategy includes reducing our scope 1 and 2 emissions to near zero by the middle of this decade and reducing our scope 3 emissions by more than half by 2030, and removing more than we emit.
In what way are you showcasing how the Internet of Things and AI can connect the physical and virtual facets of an organization?
One example of how we are doing this is the 24/7 renewable energy matching solution with Swedish energy company, Vattenfall, which allows an hourly matched supply of 100% renewable energy. Our IoT gives renewable energy suppliers real-time data on their renewable energy and energy storage assets, as well as their customers’ consumption.
What projects are you engaging with in the U.A.E. to drive a positive impact across the globe?
One exciting area we are focusing on is building management optimization. The opportunity to enable organizations to drive down their energy consumption through the use of intelligent building technologies is significant. Buildings contribute to around 40% of energy consumption worldwide. Organizations that have deployed smart building technology have reduced energy consumption by 25-30%. We will not only focus our efforts on mega buildings but also airports, hospitals, stadiums, malls, schools and government buildings.
How will your Planetary Computer help to protect and sustain the world’s biodiversity?
By delivering the Planetary Computer, which provides access to the world’s critical environmental datasets and AI and digital technology, we will build the tools that make it easier for scientists to ask global-scale questions of large datasets, then present those results in applications that support environmental monitoring, forecasting, planning and attribution. To date we have onboarded more than 10 petabytes of environmental science data.
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