Microsoft: cloud technology as a lever for sustainability
Myriam Broeders: "In November 2021, we launched our Digital AmBEtion programme: we are going to set up data centres in Belgium to offer our customers local data residency and faster access to the cloud. In short, we are bringing the cloud as close as possible to businesses. This then translates into a smaller ecological footprint for each of them. Companies or governments that switch to the cloud can reduce the carbon footprint of their IT applications by 98%. Moreover, we design our data centres to be as energy efficient as possible and we run them on green energy as much as possible."
Companies or governments that switch to the cloud can reduce the carbon footprint of their IT applications by 98%.
Myriam Broeders, CTO of Microsoft Belgium-Luxembourg
"In Belgium, some large customers have already switched to the cloud for sustainability reasons. AB InBev, for example, is creating 'digital twins' of its breweries in the cloud. This makes it possible to streamline its brewing processes in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. And tire manufacturer Bridgestone is using high-performance computing in the cloud to design tires virtually. The result: 60% savings in raw materials and a 60% reduction in CO2 impact."
"We also offer companies and organizations Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability: a solution in the cloud that allows you to monitor, analyse and then reduce your CO2 impact. In addition, we have a significant ecosystem of partners who are building industry-specific sustainability solutions with our technology."
"Meanwhile, we are working hard on what we call our 'Planetary Computer': a huge collection of environmental data - we speak of a multi-petabyte catalogue - from around the world. Through APIs and applications, the data are accessible to governments, environmental organizations and other stakeholders -- an invaluable tool if you want to analyse information or make sustainability-related decisions."
Working with partners
Together you are stronger. That is why Microsoft created the Partner Pledge: "Together with companies from here, we are launching initiatives to make a difference in Belgium in terms of digital skills, inclusion, sustainability and responsible AI principles. If we want to use the potential of technology in sustainability issues, then of course we need those digital skills. Becode's AI School, for example, already provides accessible AI training and together with other partners so we are thereby contributing to digital literacy in the labour market in Belgium."
