Microsoft Sustainability News, Milestones, Partnerships and Net Zero Timeline

Here are more updates....

August 2023: Microsoft Sustainability Strategy, Milestones and Investments

Multiple updates...

• Microsoft Backs Startups: Microsoft is launching a GrowthX Accelerator for B2B technology startups that address sustainability in the Middle East. The latest effort, known as GrowthX cohort 4, is an eight-week, equity-free accelerator program that aligns with the COP28 climate conference -- which is set for December 2023.
• Patent: The company is seeking a patent for a sustainability platform that coordinates and optimizes power consumption between computing devices and the associated energy grid.
• Funding: Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund invested in  Rondo Energy, a provider of zero-carbon industrial heat and power. The overall round, backed by multiple investors, raised $60 million. The funding will help to "speed the rollout of Rondo Heat Batteries (RHBs) worldwide and to transform the global energy storage market," Rondo asserted.
• Decarbonizing the Power Sector: In a blog, the company described how it is working with energy organizations to decarbonize the power sector, and to leverage 100% clean energy for its data centers, buildings and campuses by 2025. Michelle Patron, senior director of global sustainability policy, described recent Microsoft meetings with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member energy ministers and their delegations.

July 2023: Sustainability Strategy Milestones

Multiple updates...

• Earnings Call: Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability is helping customers like Costco, Land O'Lakes and REI take action to meet their environmental goals, CEO Satya Nadella said during the company's earnings call on July 25, 2023.
• Cloud for Energy Companies: The company announced general availability of Azure Data Manager for Energy. The application allows enables energy companies to manage "compute-intensive workloads at global scale, and quickly ingests data for analytics and decision-making."
• Partner Guidance: During Microsoft Inspire 2023, a virtual conference for partners, Group Product Manager Brandon Potter and Worldwide Sustainability Partner Strategy Leader Alec Saunders are expected to describe how partners can navigate the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will also impact thousands of U.S.-based companies.
• Energy Partnership - Data Centers: Constellation Energy has inked an agreement with Microsoft to "significantly reduce the carbon footprint of one of Microsoft’s data centers in Boydton, Virginia." Under the agreement, the facility will receive up to 35% in environmental attributes from nuclear power, complementing Microsoft's new wind and solar purchases, the companies said. The agreement puts Microsoft "very close to its goal of operating the data center on 100 percent carbon-free electricity around the clock," the companies said.

June 2023: Cloud Milestones

Multiple updates...

• Microsoft Partners of the Year 2023: The company recognized nVisionIT, WPP and EY for various social impact and sustainability awards.
• Microsoft Sustainability Partners: Evercomm, WeavAir and ReClimate won the Singapore GreenTech Challenge 2023, a collaboration between Microsoft, Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), and SGTech. Each winner will receive up to USD$350,000 in benefits and will be onboarded to the Microsoft Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Success Program, where they will be recognized as Microsoft ISV partners.

• Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability will soon support Scope 3 reporting capabilities, General Manager Shefy Manayil Kareem disclosed in a blog. The support may help technology partners and customers with their carbon reporting initiatives.

See next page for earlier updates...