Here is today’s sustainable IT services news, research and analysis -- written for technology partners, green IT service providers, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable IT, Talent, Partnerships and Green Tech Alliances
1. Research - Worldwide IT Spending Forecast: Worldwide IT spending will reach $5.74 trillion in 2025, up 9.3% from 2024, Gartner predicted. We don't know how much of the spending will involve recycled devices, e-waste reduction, green IT services, and IT Asset Disposition (ITAD).
2. Research - Fortune 500 and Energy Microgrids: Through 2027, Fortune 500 companies will shift $500 billion from energy opex to microgrids, Gartner predicted. The goal: Mitigate chronic energy risks and AI demand. Microgrids are power networks that connect generation, storage and loads in an independent energy system that can operate on its own or with the main grid to meet the energy needs of a specific area or facility.
3. Research - AI Challenges: Fully 76% of companies are struggling to achieve and scale value from their artificial intelligence (AI) projects, Boston Consulting Group said.
4. Research - E-Waste Reduction: Penn State researchers have launched Intel-E-Waste, a startup offering a sustainable e-waste recycling process.
5. Refurbished Hardware: SiteWorx Software USA has launched a hardware refurbishment program. The effort is designed to "reduce electronic waste through repair and reuse of early generation or malfunctioning devices."
6. Nuclear Energy - Data Centers: Deep Atomic, a nuclear energy startup, plans to introduce a new small modular reactor (SMR) designed to power data centers, the company said. We don't know planned timing for the launch. Deep Atomic is based in Zurich, Switzerland, with additional offices in South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom. CEO William Theron also is founder of Nova Data Centers -- a developer of modular, self-contained AI data centers.
7. Nuclear Energy - Relaunch?: Nextera Energy is "very interested" in reviving a closed nuclear power plant in Iowa, Bloomberg reported. Multiple energy and big tech companies are exploring nuclear solutions to power generative AI data centers. Related Timeline: Why Nuclear Energy May Power AI Data Centers.
8. Partnership - Distributed Energy Resource Management (DERM): Landis+Gyr and Open Access Technology International (OATI) are partnering to help "utilities leverage demand side assets into grid operations to enhance grid resiliency and capture decarbonization goals," the two companies said.
9. Partnership - ESG Reporting Software: PortF and ESG_VC are partnering to help venture capitalists streamline ESG data collection, analysis, and reporting.
10. Partnership - Hospitality Services: Johnson Controls has joined the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. The alliance spans more than 55,000 hotels and 300 brands.
11. Partnership - Supply Chain Management: DHL Supply Chain and Diageo North America have deployed two hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks manufactured by Nikola at Diageo's Plainfield, Illinois campus. This marks the first Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to operate daily in Illinois, the companies said. The trucks produce 80% fewer carbon emissions compared to diesel trucks, offering up to 500 miles range on a single fill, the firms added.
12. EV Charging: AES Indiana has selected CLEAResult for various home charging and bidirectional fleet charging solutions.
13. Executive Leadership - Clean Energy Software: STEM has promoted Executive VP Albert Hofeldt to chief technology officer (CTO), reporting to interim CEO David Buzby.
14. Financial Services - Carbon Removal Technology: Carbon removal startup Climeworks struck an agreement with Morgan Stanley for the removal of 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air until 2037, The Wall Street Journal reported, giving Climeworks crucial support to scale up its green technology.
15. Wind Energy Challenges: GE Vernova will take a $700 million charge related to defective wind turbine blades, Bloomberg reported.
16. Solar Energy Challenges: Enphase Energy's stock nearly fell to a one-ear low after the solar equipment maker announced disappointing earnings and a weak Q4 revenue forecast. The solar energy company sees Q4 revenues in the $360 million to $400 million range, compared to analyst expectations of $433 million, SeekingAlpha noted.
17. AI - Partnership Investigation: Google's partnership with Anthropic is being formally probed by the U.K.'s antitrust regulator, SeekingAlpha reported.
18. AI - Lawsuit: A mother has sued CharacterAI, claiming the chatbot platform played a role in her son's suicide. Meanwhile, Character.AI said it would roll out a number of new safety features, including “improved detection, response, and intervention” related to chats that violate its terms of service and a notification when a user has spent an hour in a chat, TechCrunch reported.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Consultancy Launch: MAST Architects is launching a sustainability and energy consultancy, aptly named MAST Energy. The consultancy will seek to "ensure homes are designed to be warmer, healthier and cost-efficient for occupants," Scottish Construction Now reported.
2. Earnings - Tesla: The EV car maker announced stronger-than-expected Q3 earnings. Among the upside surprises: The Cybertruck achieved a positive gross margin for the first time, CNBC noted. And Tesla's energy storage business is "growing like wildfire, with strong demand for both Megapack and Powerwall," CEO Elon Musk asserted during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Still, Tesla did not mention its rooftop solar business during the earnings call. Related Timeline: Tesla's AI strategy.
3. Earnings - Honeywell: The technology and manufacturing company announced weaker-than-expected Q3 revenues and a softer-than-expected forecast for its next quarter, MarketWatch reported. The overall Honeywell business strategy includes a massive sustainable technology initiative.
4. Earnings - IBM: The technology company disclosed weak Q3 consulting revenues, and IBM shares dropped about 5% on the quarterly results. IBM did not mention its ESG or sustainability software tools in the earnings announcement or associated earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Related Timeline: IBM's sustainability strategy.
5. ESG Funds Fading Away?: Asset managers in Europe and the United States have spent 2024 winding down hundreds of ESG funds, Bloomberg Law reported, as the investment strategy continues to bump up against uncertainty.
6. Financial Grant - Refurbished Technology: The city of Boston, Massachusetts, has awarded Mattapan Tech a $50,000 grant to expand its Digital Refurbished Program. The program provides refurbished digital devices to vulnerable families residing in Boston.
7. M&A - Scope 3 Expertise: Bureau Veritas has acquired Aligned Incentives. The deal "enhances Bureau Veritas' capabilities in Scope 3 emissions analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA)," the buyer said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bureau Veritas has been busy on the M&A front. The company in September 2024 also acquired acquired ArcVera Renewables, a renewable energy consulting firm focused on wind, solar, and battery storage projects worldwide. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed.
8. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - Solar Energy Market Concerns: The U.S. solar market will suffer if Donald Trump wins the presidential election and repeals the Inflation Reduction Act, Enphase CEO Badri Kothandaraman asserts.
2. European Union: During her keynote at the European Tech For Climate Action Conference in Belgium, Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst described how Amazon and the European Union must continue to partner on sustainability initiatives.
3. The Netherlands: The Netherlands will miss its main 2030 climate goal unless it takes more action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Reuters reported.
4. Pakistan - Funding: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has committed $15 million to Pakistani venture capital firm Sarmayacar, Reuters reported. The goal: Help startups tackle the impact of climate change in Pakistan -- which has been at the forefront of extreme weather, the report said.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- EHS and Sustainability Management Forum 2024 (October 27-30, Fort Worth, Texas)
- GridTech Connect Forum 2024 (October 28-30, Newport, Rhode Island)
- Cisco Partner Summit 2024 (October 28-30, Los Angeles)
- Verge 2024 (October 29-31, San Jose, California)
- Bloom 2024 Biodiversity and Climate Conference (October 29-30)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
