IBM Sustainability News, Milestones, Software Partnerships and Net Zero Timeline

Here is additional IBM sustainability news and milestones.

September 2024 Updates

Quantum Computing: IBM has expanded a Quantum Data Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. The data center has the "highest number of available utility-scale quantum computers at a single location in the world," IBM asserts. A second IBM Quantum Data Center which will soon open in Ehningen, Germany, the company said. Customers can leverage the IBM Cloud to access the quantum computing capabilities.

Partnership - AI and Weather Forecasting: IBM and NASA, with an assist from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have developed a new AI foundation model that allows "scientists, developers, and businesses to better understand and analyze weather and climate data," the organizations said.

Research - IT Operations and Carbon Accounting: Fully 99% of executives are unable to quantify their IT operations' exact carbon footprint, but generative AI can help, IBM research asserts.

Layoffs - IT Solutions: IBM has been laying off a substantial number of employees this week and is trying to keep it quiet, The Register reported. We don't know if the job cuts involved IBM's sustainability and ESG software teams. The company expects to exit 2024 with headcount figures that are roughly equal to 2023, the report said.

Partnership - AI and Energy Management: IBM and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched new interactive models on energy within UNDP's global GeoHub platform. These solutions leverage IBM watsonx AI and more to help users analyze complex energy issues.

August 2024 Updates

Asia Pacific - Sustainability Guide: IBM, in collaboration with Ecosystm, has released a Sustainability Technology Guide for Executives. The guide seeks to "empower business leaders in the Asia Pacific region to leverage tech-business synergy to accelerate sustainable transformation."

Partnerships - Higher Education: IBM and Imperial College of London have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to partner on climate and sustainability opportunities, the future of computing, accelerated discovery and AI. Separately, IBM and the National University of Singapore (NUS) are partnering to establish a new research and innovation center focused on AI and sustainable computing, CIO Souteast Asia reported.

July 2024 Updates

Partnership - ESG Software and Services: JLL’s sustainability services team will leverage the IBM Envizi ESG Suite as part of its real estate decarbonization strategy. Related: See our IBM sustainability strategy timeline.

Energy Management Software: In a blog, IBM explained the ongoing shift to renewable energy -- and the need for energy management software solutions.

June 2024: Key Milestones

Emissions Management Software: IBM has added AI-powered features to the Maximo Application Suite. Some of the enhancements involve emissions management capabilities, according to this blog from Kendra DeKeyrel. Among the details to note:

• Tools such as Maximo Emissions Management, now available in the Maximo Application Suite, can "help balance operational efficiency with environmental responsibility," she wrote. The application suite integrates with the IBM Envizi ESG Suite.
•  A new cloud-based data platform, Environmental Intelligence, is arriving as promised. The platform provides customers with "environmental data and insights that can help them mitigate the environmental impact on their assets and build more climate-resilient operations," she wrote.

Partnership - Data Center Testbed: IBM, Syracuse University and New York State have created a Green Data Center to research how energy-efficient technologies can reduce energy costs and environmental impact.

May 2024: Key Milestones

Quantum Computing and Sustainability: IBM and multiple partners have launched a quantum computing working group focused on sustainability and energy transition research.

Think 2024 Conference: Numerous ESG software enhancements and capabilities surfaced at IBM Think 2024, a major customer and partner conference in Boston, Massachusetts.

Podcast: Kendra DeKeyrel, vice president ESG & asset management product leader at IBM, explains how the company is assisting customers and partners with their sustainability strategies.

Quantum Computing: IBM and multiple partners have launched a quantum computing working group focused on sustainability and energy transition research. The effort involves such collaborators as PINQ², Université de Sherbrooke, Hydro-Québec, University of Luxembourg, and E.ON.

New Chief Sustainability Officer: Christina Shim succeeded Wayne Balta as IBM chief sustainability officer (CSO). The move surfaced a few weeks before IBM Think 2024 -- a major customer and partner conference that will likely feature sustainability updates.

Partnership - IBM and AWS: IBM's software portfolio -- spanning AI, security, sustainability and more -- is now available in the AWS Marketplace across 92 countries. The latest additions include Finland, Norway and Sweden.

April 2024: Key Milestones

Real Estate Management & Carbon Montoring: IBM is leveraging AI software to capture and analyze IBM's energy data within a single, auditable tool across a portfolio of over 600 locations, the company said. Users can compile reports and filter by location, geography, and utility, among others, to understand where energy consumption is highest, where there are unexpected changes in energy, and where the company has the most opportunity to drive energy conservation to help meet IBM's 2030 net zero target, the company said.

Sustainability Partners of the Year: IBM will announce its global sustainability partner of the year on May 20, 2024 at the Think 2024 conference in Boston. The five finalists for the global award are:

• North America - Cohesive 
• APAC - Wipro Limited
• Japan - ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation 
• EMEA - EY Ukraine
• Latin America - ScaleUP Consultoria

The Think 2024 conference will include an IBM Partner Plus Day on May 20.

More: Continue to the next page for additional IBM sustainability news and milestones.