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 Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. Data Centers and Green Concrete: The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) -- collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Meta and Microsoft -- will test green concrete for data center floors.
2. GenAI Data Centers and Carbon Footprints: Amazon, Microsoft and Meta are concealing their actual carbon footprints, buying credits tied to electricity use that inaccurately erase millions of tons of planet-warming emissions from their carbon accounts, a Bloomberg Green analysis alleges.
3. Software - IT Management Software and Carbon Reporting: FNT Software has released FNT Command 14 to help customers manage complex IT, data center, and network infrastructures. The update includes FNT Sustainability -- which allows customers to document, track and report on Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the company said. A preconfigured analytics dashboard provides "actionable insights, supporting greener operations and regulatory compliance, and demonstrating eligibility for financial incentives," the company said.Cr
4. Software - Patents and Carbon Footprints: Esgenix has launched a software platform designed to evaluate the carbon footprint of patents, the company said.
5. Partnership - Building Decarbonization Services: Crete United and Emerald Built Environments have partnered to help customers with green building certifications, greenhouse gas emissions reporting, net zero initiatives, and engineering and building science services.
6. Talent: InspIR Group, an investor relations and sustainability consultancy, has hired Ed Vallejo as managing director. He will join the firm on September 16, 2024. Vallejo will "further strengthen the firm’s senior advisory capability in the U.S. and across the emerging markets," the company said.
7. Ford Cancels New Electric Vehicle: Ford Motor has delayed EV pickup truck production in a new Tennessee plant, and the company cancelled plans for a three-row electric SUV, CNBC reported.
8. AI - Content License: Magazine publisher Conde Nast has signed a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI, The Information reported. Content from Conde Nast publications will now appear within OpenAI products such as ChatGPT and SearchGPT, the report said.
9. AI Lawsuit: Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson have filed a class-action lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging that Anthropic “built a multibillion-dollar business by stealing hundreds of thousands of copyrighted books,” CNBC reported.
10. AI Lawsuit Timeline: See our timeline tracking all generative AI lawsuits and court cases.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Accelerator: The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²), a $50 million clean technology program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has selected 10 organizations to participate in the inaugural cohort of the new Scalable Tech Track program for cleantech adoption. Moreover, IN² is currently accepting applications from cleantech startups ready for large-scale pilots with at least one year of post-revenue traction.
2. Debt Financing - Data Centers: Scala Data Centers has lined up US$250 million in new debt financing, with a six-year maturity period. The funds will used to complete the largest data center building in Latin America, the SGRUTB09, with 36 MW of IT capacity. Scala Data Centers claims to be "the leading sustainable data center platform in the Hyperscale market."
3. Funding - Green Energy: Branch Energy has raised $10.8 million in Series A funding, led by Prelude Ventures. Also, Zero Infinity Partners participated in the round. Branch Energy develops management software and on-site battery storage systems. Customers gain 100% clean energy at lower costs while helping to avoid blackouts, the startup asserts. Branch Energy's first target market is Texas, "due to the amount of stress on the state’s grid," the startup said.
4. Funding - Off the Grid Power: Private equity firm True Green Capital Management LLC (TGC) has invested in Clean Energy Capital (CEC), a private-wire renewable energy company in the United Kingdom. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. CEC specializes in utility-scale 'behind-the-meter' projects. Customers, typically large power users, leverage CEC solutions for "meaningful" direct power, thereby reducing dependency on the national grid, CEC asserts.
5. M&A - Private Equity: Goldman Sachs Alternatives has acquired Adler & Allan, an environmental risk reduction specialist focused on utilities. Adler & Allan, in turn, plans to acquire companies in the United Kingdom and internationally -- with a particular focus on sustainability, climate transition, and water. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
6. 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
Nothing to report here today.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- VMware Explore 2024 (August 26-29, Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Amsterdam Immersive Impact Trip and Masterclass 2024 (September 5-6)
- LG Energy Summit 2024 (September 5-6, Brussels, Belgium)
- Workiva Amplify 2024 (September 9-11, Denver, Colorado)
- RE+ 2024 (September 9-12, Anaheim, California)
- 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.
