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. Microsoft AI and Sustainability: In part two of a blog, Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich described how the company is innovating for energy efficiency in AI.
2. Amazon: CEO Andy Jassy described five sustainability initiatives and priorities during Climate Week NYC 2024 in New York.
3. Executive Promotions - ESG Technology for Real Estate: Measurabl has named the following executives to new roles:
4. Global IT Consulting Services: HCLTech has reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 25% compared to a 2020 baseline, according to a 2024 Sustainability Report. HCLTech also cut Scope 3 emissions by 29% compared to a 2020 baseline. The company expects 80% of its energy consumption to leverage renewable energy sources by 2030, while marching toward overall net-zero status by 2040.
5. Solar Energy Procurement: Eight companies, working with Schneider Electric and the Energize supply chain decarbonization program, will partner with two developers to procure renewable energy through seven new solar projects in Spain.
6. 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.
7. Carbon Credit Guidance: Patch has introduced a carbon credit playbook for CSOs.
8. Partnership - Climate Investments: Spanish lender BBVAÂ and U.S. investor KKRÂ have formed a strategic partnership focused on climate-related investments, Reuters reported. BBVA will invest $200 million in KKR's Global Climate Strategy, and the initiative will also look into finding climate infrastructure-related investments, the report added.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Funding: Cyclic Materials, aiming to create a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical materials, has raised $53 million in Series B funding. ArcTern Ventures led the round. BDC Capital’s Climate Tech Fund, Hitachi Ventures, Zero Infinity Partners, Climate Investment and Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund also participated in the round. Existing investors Fifth Wall, BMW i Ventures, Energy Impact Partners and Planetary Technologies also participated in the round.
2. M&A - Carbon Accounting And Agriculture Software: Gevo has acquired Cultivate Agricultural Intelligence (CultivateAI) for $6 million in cash, with the opportunity for the sellers to receive additional earn-out payments. CultivateAI will tuck into Verity, a Gevo subsidiary that offers carbon accounting and tracking solutions. The result: Farmers will gain the "highest quality data-driven solutions for carbon abatement in food, feed, fuels, and industrial markets" while also helping to "improve their operations, sustainability, and profitability," the companies said.
3. 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. COP29: The government of Azerbaijan has offered to cover the costs for negotiators from climate-vulnerable small islands to attend COP29, Reuters reported.
2. United States - Hurricane Helene Power Outages: More than 2.5 million customers lost power across Florida (1.2 million), Georgia (800,000), South Carolina (482,000) and North Carolina (139,000), according to PowerOutage.US. We'll be tracking power recovery efforts, and associated renewable energy updates.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- CSE Sustainability and ESG Leadership Summit 2024Â (September 30, New York, New York)
- E-Scrap Conference 2024Â (September 30-October 2, Orlando, Florida)
- Sustainability Expo Europe 2024Â (October 1-2, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
- Industrial Decarbonization North America 2024Â (October 1-2, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- ESG Africa Conference 2024 (October 1-2, Gauteng, South Africa)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
