Green Data Center Partnership: HCLTech, Schneider Electric Pursue Asia Pacific Opportunities

Global IT consulting firm HCLTech and Schneider Electric are partnering to develop energy- and carbon-efficient solutions for data center customers in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

HCLTech, based in Noida, India, has more than 223,000 employees across 60 countries. The company's IT services and consulting expertise spans digital transformation, cloud and AI (artificial intelligence). HCLTech's 12-month revenues as of June 2023 were $12.8 billion. 

Schneider Electric, based in Rueil-Malmaison, France, develops energy management and industrial automation solutions. Much of the company's focus involves assisting partners and customers with their sustainability and green IT business strategies.

Together, HCLTech and Schneider Electric plan to "jointly explore innovations in sustainability and deliver converged IT-OT solutions to help clients meet regulatory compliances and accelerate decarbonization programs in the APAC region."

Schneider Electric's strategy involves organic growth along with acquisitions. Recent moves include:

• July 2023: Acquiring a climate consulting and net-zero solutions business from global IT services firm Atos Group. 
• June 2023: Launching an online sustainability training school for the company's partner ecosystem.

Executive Perspectives: Sustainable Data Center Developments for APAC Customers

In a prepared statement about the HCLTech-Schneider Electric relationship, Tan Boon Hien, senior VP and head of APAC Sustainability, HCLTech, said: “With the growth of the digital economy, it is important that enterprises responsibly manage their data center energy consumption. We look forward to collaborating with Schneider Electric to develop sustainability solutions for data centers in APAC. Assessing risk and responsibility, we will integrate HCLTech’s best practices in information technology (IT) with Schneider Electric’s operational technology (OT) to develop solutions that significantly help improve efficiency, productivity and modernization of data centers, reducing the overall carbon footprint.”

Added Michel Arres (pictured, top of page) VP of IT channel and alliances for the International Secure Power Division of Schneider Electric: “Sustainability is a critical imperative for businesses today and we at Schneider Electric believe that we have a key role to play in helping our customers achieve their sustainability goals. We recognize the significant impact of data centers on the environment, particularly in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions. That's why we're excited to partner with HCLTech to develop carbon-efficient solutions for data centers in the Asia Pacific region. By combining our strengths in IT and OT, we can drive the convergence of these domains and enable our customers to achieve sustainable data center operations.”

Schneider Electric: Sustainability and Green IT Progress Report

Schneider Electric is expected to announce mid-year financial results on July 27, 2023. We'll offer more insights on the company's sustainable IT and business strategy at that time.