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.
Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. Partnership - ERP and Carbon Accounting Software: Climatiq and Epicor are integrating Climatiq's carbon calculation engine into Epicor's ERP software and business applications, the two companies said. The result: Epicor customers will be able to "access precise, real-time carbon data, monitor emissions, and identify crucial opportunities to lower their carbon footprint," the two companies said.
2. Partnership - AI and Cloud Services: StrategEast and Google have launched Build with AI for Sustainable Growth, a four-month program that "aims to bring together developers from across Central Asia and the Caucasus to address sustainable development challenges using artificial intelligence technologies," the organizations said.
3. Carbon Credit Alternatives: As buyers and sellers of carbon credits grapple with signs of a shrinking market, others are seizing the moment, Bloomberg reported One example: Goldman Sachs veteran Jim Bunch has teamed up with law firm Linklaters and London nonprofit Scope 3 Climate Capital to help develop and promote an alternative to carbon credits, the report said.
4. Rivian Layoffs: Rivian, the electric car manufacturer, will be eliminating a small number of salaried positions, according to an Illinois newspaper. The EV maker has had several rounds of layoffs over the past year or so.
5. Research - AI Foundational Models: Â In a first-time evaluation, Forrester has released The Forrester Wave: AI Foundation Models For Language, Q2 2024 benchmark. The research examples large language model (LLM) offering, strategy, and market presence across 21 criteria for 10 providers that offer foundation models for language:Â Amazon Web Services, Anthropic, Cohere, Databricks, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mistral AI, NVIDIA and OpenAI.
6. Proposed AI Lawsuit Settlement: Facial recognition company Clearview AI has agreed to resolve claims that it violated the privacy rights of millions of Americans, Reuters reported, reaching an unusual class action settlement based on a theoretical stake in the company's future value. Related: See detailed AI industry lawsuit timeline here.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Investment - Software: The NX Global Innovation Fund, from Nippon Express, has acquired a stake in Asuene Inc. -- a software company that provides a cloud service to visualize CO2 emissions.
2. For Sale - Energy Business: Carlyle Group is exploring the potential sale of Cogentrix Energy for $3 billion to $4 billion, the Financial Times reported. The business includes various gas, coal, wind and renewable energy projects.
3. Business Closure: Ocean carbon removal startup Running Tide, is ceasing its operations, Carbon Herald reported The company, founded in 2017, had raised over $50 million from investors for its initial approach to utilize macro algae for carbon sequestration but later pivoted to sinking wood biomass, the report noted.
4. 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. G7 - Energy Transition Debate: Leaders of the Group of Seven developed democracies will commit to accelerating their transition away from fossil fuels during this decade, but climate activists said the G7 summit failed to produce concrete commitments, Reuters reported.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- HPE Discover 2024Â (June 17-19, Las Vegas)
- Pure Accelerate 2024Â (June 18-21, Las Vegas)
- World ESG and Climate Summit 2024Â (June 18-19, Amsterdam)
- GreenFin 24 Conference (June 18-20, New York)
- MOVE 2024Â (June 19-20, London, United Kingdom)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
