Here is today’s sustainable IT services and climate tech news, research and analysis -- written for technology partners, green IT service providers, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable IT, Talent, Partnerships and Green Tech Alliances
1. Data Center Energy Management: Divcon Controls has launched a new Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) service, which provides users with "real-time data insights to optimize energy efficiency, reduce waste, and lower operational costs."
2. Cloud Services and Higher Education: A new AWS eBook helps colleges and universities to understand how cloud services can impact higher education sustainability goals.
3. Partnership - EV Charging and IT Consulting: HCLTech is partnering with ChargePoint to establish an EV charging research center Bengaluru, India.
4. Google Quantum Computing Strategy: Google is striving to release commercial quantum computing applications within five years, Reuters reported. "We’re optimistic that within five years we’ll see real-world applications that are possible only on quantum computers," founder and lead of Google Quantum AI Hartmut Neven said, the report added.
5. Google Gemini: Google announced updates to its Gemini family of large language models (LLMs), including a new product line with competitive pricing vs. Chinese rival DeepSeek, Reuters reported.
6. Solar Manufacturing Shift: Enphase Energy is in the process of moving its battery cell manufacturing out of China to avoid tariffs imposed by President Trump, Bloomberg reported.
7. Partnership - Toyota: Toyota Motor is partnering with the Shanghai municipal government in China to focus on carbon neutrality. In addition, Toyota has decided to establish a new wholly-owned company in Jinshan District in southwest Shanghai to develop and produce BEVs and batteries, the company said.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Honeywell Breakup Plan: Honeywell, facing pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management, plans to break itself up into three publicly traded companies by the second half of 2026. One of the resulting companies, called Honeywell Automation, will focus extensively on smart buildings, technology, data center customers, and associated sustainable IT strategies.
2. M&A - Private Equity and Solar Technology: Private equity firm TPG is acquiring solar energy giant Altus Power for $2.2 billion. The deal involves TPG's dedicated climate investing platform -- known as TPG Rise Climate. Among the potential opportunities ahead: Providing solar energy to power AI data centers, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.
3. Data Center Land Purchase: Verne, a provider of sustainably powered data centers across the Nordics, has acquired the land at its existing Helsinki data center campus, securing room for future expansion, the company said. Private investment and asset management firm Ardian acquired Verne from Digital 9 Infrastructure in March 2024.
4. Funding - Grid Modernization: IONATE, which is building a hardware-software backbone for smart grids, has raised $17 million in Series A funding. AlbionVC led the round. The IONATE system is designed to improve power grid efficiency and capacity -- especially amid growing decarbonization and AI data center power consumption demands, the startup said.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - Michigan and Carbon Management Software: The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) plans to leverage NZero software for a live carbon tracking program.
2. United States - Renewable Energy Projects: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has temporarily paused permitting on 168 renewable energy projects across the U.S. to comply with President Donald Trump’s fossil fuels mandate, Bloomberg reported.
3. United States - Climate Data Site Offline: A key site that monitors global carbon-dioxide emissions went offline for maintenance and will return later February 6, 2025, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Bloomberg reported.
4. European Union - CSRD Data Challenges for Business: Fully 83% of businesses lack confidence in the audit-readiness of their ESG data for compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), research from Semarchy found.
5. European Union - CSRD Challenges for Hedge Funds: Hedge funds are seeking exemptions from some environmental, social and governance reporting requirements -- particularly CSRD mandates, Bloomberg reported.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- AHR Expo 2025Â (February 10-12, Orlando, Florida)
- GreenBiz 25Â (February 10-12, Phoenix, Arizona)
- IoT Evolution Expo 2025Â (February 11-13, Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainable IT, climate tech and renewable energy news for technology partners.
Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
