Heike Steiner’s Post

🌍🚀 Exciting News! Our whitepaper “AI and Climate Protection: Opportunities for the Swiss Economy” is now live! 🎉   With AI reshaping industries, we at Accenture DACH, in collaboration with swisscleantech, examined how companies can leverage AI for substantial climate impact. This whitepaper provides a practical roadmap for using AI to achieve climate goals, reduce emissions, and build climate resilience. It also tackles a critical topic: the rising electricity demands of AI and strategies to manage its associated emissions footprint.   Key Highlights: 🌱 Exploring AI Solutions for Climate Protection: Find exemplary AI tools for climate mitigation and adaptation. 🔍 Showcasing Insights from Industry Leaders: Discover how Google, Swisscom, SAP, and Siemens are using AI in their climate initiatives. ⚡️ Addressing Energy Consumption Challenges: Understand strategies to reduce CO₂ emissions associated with AI's electricity demands. 📊 Providing Guidance for Strategic Integration: Review actionable steps to embed climate considerations into AI strategies across multiple entry points for companies.   📥 Download the whitepaper here: German: https://lnkd.in/dGRUAMMf English: https://lnkd.in/dWxFQzep   Thanks to everyone who contributed to this project! 🙌 Alexander Holst Dr. Sandro Luh Dr Angelika Schmid Beata Adamczyk Monique de Ritter, PhD Maxime Lachaize Jonas Kreyenkamp Rene Wiedemann Fabian Etter Michael Mandl Christian Boos Res Witschi Flavia Zimmermann Adam Elman Dennis Tietz Sabine Braun Awaz Alfadil Julia Valentina Janka Thomas Melde Maximilian Schneider Ekaterina Kucherenko Dr. Nora Albu Mathieu Logeais #ClimateChange #Sustainability #AI #ClimateAction #Innovation #Artificialintelligence Accenture

Exciting Release! 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – New Opportunities for the Swiss Economy! 🌍🚀 AI is more than just tech – it can be a game-changer for climate action! Together with swisscleantech, we at Accenture DACH have created a must-read whitepaper that shows how companies can effectively utilize AI to reach their climate goals. It also addresses solutions for the elephant in the room: the rising electricity demand of AI and strategies to reduce its emissions footprint🌱 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 🔥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐬: See how Google, Siemens, SAP, and Swisscom are using AI in their climate initiatives to cut emissions, manage climate risks, and drive innovation. 🛠️ 𝐀𝐈-𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Find in the “Climate-AI Solutions Matrix” a cross-industry framework with exemplary AI tools from emissions tracking to renewable energy optimization to climate change adaptation measures! ⚡ 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐈’𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Learn how efficiency gains and smart data center practices can reduce AI’s environmental footprint. 🎯 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬: Gain clear, step-by-step guidance on embedding climate priorities into your company’s AI initiatives, with tailored entry points to suit companies of all types and stages. 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: 1️⃣ 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧: https://lnkd.in/dj-gck-a 2️⃣𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡: https://lnkd.in/dUfcV2zk Huge thanks to our incredible teams and contributors for making this vision a reality! 🙌 Alexander Holst Alexandra Molnár Dr. Sandro Luh Dr Angelika Schmid Beata Adamczyk Monique de Ritter, PhD Jonas Kreyenkamp Maxime Lachaize Fabian Etter Michael Mandl @Jan Vincent Würk Christian Boos Sebastian Kaczynski Flavia Zimmermann Res Witschi Adam Elman Dennis Tietz Lea Klipfel Let’s harness AI for a sustainable future! 🌎✨ #ClimateAction #Sustainability #AI #NetZero #Innovation

How CEOs Can Balance AI and Climate Goals for a Sustainable Future As industries navigate the twin revolutions of generative AI (GenAI) and the energy transition, CEOs face critical decisions that will shape a more sustainable and prosperous world. According to a recent article by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the energy demands of AI development—particularly from hyperscalers deploying large language models—are surging, with U.S. data centers expected to account for 60% of incremental power demand by 2030. This poses both a challenge and an opportunity to align AI innovation with climate goals. BCG experts, including Maurice Berns, Vivian Lee, and Nicolas de Bellefonds, highlight how this dynamic can spur the adoption of low-carbon technologies, optimize energy use, and accelerate innovation in sustainable energy infrastructure. Strategies like optimizing data center operations, investing in smaller AI models, and exploring advanced technologies like small modular reactors (SMRs) can drive meaningful progress. As Maurice Berns notes, "The energy demands of hyperscalers offer an impetus for developing the scalable, low-carbon energy solutions needed for tomorrow’s economy." For CEOs, the call to action is clear: optimize current resources, invest in scalable green energy, and collaborate across sectors to ensure the AI and energy transitions propel, rather than hinder, each other. Read more about these insights and strategies in the full BCG article. #Sustainability #AI #Leadership #ClimateGoals #Innovation #BCG

Is Gen AI a blessing or a burden for sustainability? As is so often the case, the answer is: it depends. Capgemini Research Institute’s report, ‘Generative AI in Organizations 2024’ shows that 24% of organizations are now integrating Gen AI into some or most of their locations or functions, up from 6% reported last year. And while attention has traditionally focused on the hidden environmental cost of training and using generative AI models, they require a significant amount of energy to train and run, creating a large carbon footprint. However, companies can reduce Gen AI's environmental impact by reusing existing models and resources and use the technology to drive sustainable practices across the organization. Check out how can we balance the potential of generative AI while considering its cost to the planet at large: https://lnkd.in/gf7Fxg4D To learn more about how your business can benefit sustainably, come see me along with @Rachel Delacour, Cofounder & CEO at Sweep; @Dan Versace, Sr. Analyst Sustainability Services at IDC; and @Mohammed Abdelhadi, Director Specialist, Cloud for Sustainability at Microsoft, at the Capgemini’s panel discussion, ‘Generative AI: Accelerating sustainability through responsible innovation,’ on September 25 during Climate Week NYC. As part of Capgemini’s Business to Planet Connect event, we'll also be running other sessions focused on how technology can support businesses in shaping a more sustainable future. Would love to see you there! Register here: https://bit.ly/4fi3AAw Megan Rehling Emmanuel Lochon Florent Andrillon Marie-Neige Couriaut Anthony DeMarco Cyril Garcia Sol Salinas Tyler Williams Alex Tepper Jim Bailey Franck Greverie Anirban Bose Shobha Meera Niraj Parihar Jean-Baptiste Perrin Liz Lugnier Prasad Shyam Vincent de Montalivet #ClimateWeekNYC #sustainability #ClimateAction #GetTheFutureYouWant

Salesforce Climate x AI Event: Insights and Opportunities! The Salesforce Climate x AI roundtable in Sydney last week explored the intersection of climate action and the agentic AI era, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for addressing global environmental issues through AI's transformative potential. Sharing a summary of the key themes: AI’s Role in Climate Action: * Autonomous work through AI agents offers new efficiencies. * Potential to decarbonise and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. * Support for tasks like grant applications and climate reporting using tools like Salesforce's Net Zero Cloud. Insights and Challenges: * Compliance vs. Strategy: Striking a balance between regulatory compliance and strategic sustainability goals. * Global vs. Local Tensions: Navigating the dual priorities of global sustainability mandates and local implementation needs. * Trust and Talent: Addressing challenges in building trust in AI systems and cultivating skilled talent to leverage AI effectively. Use Cases in Action: * Scenario planning, data management, and research—AI likened to an "intelligent intern" whose outputs still require oversight. * Emerging technologies such as digital twins providing innovative ways to model and manage environmental impact. Resources for Action: * Salesforce have many valuable tools and insights, including their guide AI for ESG: How to Meet Your Sustainability Goals Faster, designed to help organisations accelerate sustainability efforts: https://lnkd.in/g-v9YeJi As we look toward 2025, collaboration will be key in embedding sustainability as a core value in more multinationals. Thank you for contributing to this vital conversation and being a catalyst for change Alexandra McDonald, Loreto Gutierrez and team! #Sustainability #AI #Multinationals

⚡ The AI Revolution’s Sustainability Crossroads ⚡ By 2030, the energy demand from data centers could double, consuming a staggering 1,065 terawatt-hours (TWh) annually. That’s nearly 4% of global electricity use, with Generative AI driving much of this surge. 🌍 The challenge? Balancing innovation with sustainability. Here’s why this matters: 🔹 AI workloads require exponentially more power than traditional computing tasks. 🔹 The rapid integration of AI into businesses worldwide is accelerating demand. 🔹 Infrastructure expansion to support AI could strain global energy resources. So, how do we create a sustainable AI-driven future? ✅ Invest in renewable energy solutions to power data centers. ✅ Design smarter algorithms and cooling systems to reduce energy waste. ✅ Build data centers in regions rich in clean energy sources. ✅ Collaborate across industries to establish global standards for green innovation. The big takeaway: As we push the boundaries of AI, we need strategies that ensure progress doesn’t come at the planet’s expense. 🌱 What solutions do you think could shape a sustainable AI future? Share your insights in the comments! #GreenAI #DataCenterEfficiency #SustainableAI #TechInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning Reference: Deloitte. (2025). Deloitte Global’s 2025 predictions report. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/gy__g8QN

AI this Earth Day: Top opportunities to advance sustainability initiatives. Article by IBM. This Earth Day, we are calling for action to conserve our scarcest resource: the planet. To drive real change, it’s crucial for individuals, industries, organizations and governments to work together, using data and technology to uncover new opportunities that will help advance sustainability initiatives across the globe. The world is behind on addressing climate change. With 2024 on track to be the hottest year on record, data and AI can be applied to many areas to help supercharge sustainability efforts. We believe there are three core areas that every organization should focus on: sustainability strategy and reporting; energy transition and climate resilience; and intelligent asset, facility and infrastructure management. Using data and AI to drive your sustainability strategy while meeting reporting requirements. In speaking with our clients around the world, we found that sustainability remains a priority on their agendas. CEOs say that sustainability investments will help drive better business results in the next 5 years. However, some organizations struggle to progress at their desired rate despite having strong commitment and acting accordingly. One of the key challenges they face is the lack of reliable data and insights, according to an IBM survey of business leaders. AI technology can help overcome this challenge by turning intel into insights faster, enabling businesses to drive toward sustainability goals and financial targets more quickly. Using AI, business teams can “clean” data, manage through gaps, and report across different frameworks. This will help unlock competitive insights that are key for making strategic decisions, more quickly and consistently, and with less error. This approach can help organizations to more easily establish a sustainability strategy across the business. Also, it allows them to leverage said data and insights to supercharge their progress in a way that improves performance and meets regulatory requirements. Stay ahead in the world of AI! Explore the latest breakthroughs, innovations, and trends with our AI Tech Trends newsletter. 🔍🤖✨ 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦! 🌐 🔗 𝘠𝘊𝘖𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮 #AITech #AI #TechTrends #ArtificialIntelligence #TechInnovation #FutureTech #AIRevolution #InnovationHub #EmergingTech #DigitalTransformation #SmartTech #DataScience #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #Automation #AIResearch #TechInsights #TechNews ♻️ 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞! ♻️ Follow me @Yaro Celis and hit that bell 🔔 for more.

As data and generative AI solutions evolve, many organizations seek to use AI responsibly as part of their sustainable transformation programs, to monitor progress, empower employees and chart the path to net zero. I am thrilled to join Microsoft, Gartner, and the Economist for ‘Sustainability Week Insight Hour’ happening this thursday where we will explore AI and how it can be used to reimagine the path to reaching decarbonization and broader sustainability goals, including sustainable supply chain and defining responsible AI and compute in a new economy. Register in the comments‼️ Date: May 30th 2024 Time: 3pm BST/10am EDT Hear from the panelists: - Brandon Potter Senior Director, Cloud for Sustainability Microsoft - Sheri Hinish, Global consulting sustainability and ecosystems leader EY - Pieter den Hamer Vice-president for AI Gartner - Phillip Cornell Principal for energy and sustainability Economist Impact ⭐️ This insight hour will help answer: - How businesses are using digital technology to address the climate challenge? - How can cloud computing, machine learning and AI contribute to decarbonization? - What is being done to address the increase in resources needed to power these evolving technologies? - How might AI be used to reach net zero faster? Hope to see you there! #sustainability #AI #innovation

New report from Accenture finds that only 16% of the 'world's largest companies' are on track for their net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050 with roughly half seeing increased emissions. As you can imagine, AI is a major driving force behind this with its massive energy requirement. Will be interesting to see how this trend continues as more and more uses of AI become essential to business. https://lnkd.in/gig2b7_k #esg #artificialintelligence #machinelearning

🌍 Advancing Sustainability with Data and AI Solutions 🌍 I attended yesterday an insightful session hosted by Economist Impact on "Data and AI Solutions to Advance Sustainability," featuring Brandon Potter (Microsoft), Sheri R. Hinish (EY), and Pieter den Hamer (Gartner), moderated by Phillip Cornell (Economist Impact). Key Takeaways: 1. Bridging ESG and Technology: There's often a disconnect between ESG initiatives and technology teams. Companies must integrate ESG goals into AI strategies, fostering collaboration between CTOs/CIOs and sustainability teams to ensure technological advancements support sustainability. 2. Sustainable Business Models: - Circular economy principles to reduce waste and recycle AI hardware. - Shared data centers and cloud services to optimize resources and reduce redundancy. 3. Assessing AI's Sustainability Impact: - Gartner AI Opportunity Radar: Evaluates AI initiatives from a sustainability perspective. - Microsoft Sustainability Manager: Uses AI tools like Fabrik and Copilot to measure carbon emissions and provide actionable sustainability recommendations. 4. Addressing AI’s Energy Consumption: - Utilize renewable energy for data centers. - Develop technologies to recycle and reuse cooling water. - Innovate hardware for better energy efficiency. - Optimize deep learning algorithms for performance with less power. By aligning AI with ESG strategies, adopting sustainable practices, and investing in new technologies, companies can leverage AI to drive innovation and advance their sustainability objectives, creating a positive impact on both business and the environment. Let's use AI responsibly to build a sustainable future! 🌟 #Sustainability #AI #ESG #Innovation #TechForGood