BT’s Sarwar Khan spoke to SiliconRepublic.com about how advanced data capture using AI and cloud computing can improve sustainability.
A major benefit of automation is the potential it has to make systems more efficient and sustainable. And with sustainability being a key focus area for many business leaders, the need for more smart systems with AI and automation has grown exponentially.
BT’s Sarwar Khan has been working in the energy sector for many years, starting as an engineer in a coal-fired power station before moving to renewables, working in the Nordics. Then, he moved into energy solutions consultancy, focusing on how technologies such as 5G and internet of things (IoT) can be leveraged within the sector.
“Connectivity and data are integral to almost all energy solutions because you can’t optimise what you can’t measure. Capturing data from devices and machines to generate insights that help businesses make better, more informed decisions requires rock-solid connectivity,” he told SiliconRepublic.com.
“That led me to join BT to help accelerate the adoption of green technologies across enterprise and corporate sectors in the UK and internationally.”
Khan now works as the sustainability director at BT, leading a team that ensures sustainability is integrated into all aspects of the company’s products and operations.
He said that while there is still a big focus on net zero and decarbonisation goals, there’s a much broader remit of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and goals for businesses to consider.
“To set a realistic goal, you first need to benchmark your existing operations and then you need to be able to record your progress in achieving it. Measurement is key. In fact, increasing regulatory scrutiny means that it’s compulsory,” he said.
“So, sustainability is now embedded in organisations’ overall strategy and deep into their operations, starting from R&D and new product development all the way through to efficiently managing operations, supply chain and everyday customer interactions.”
Using tech for sustainability reporting
Sustainability clauses in managed service agreements have risen for business customers, which requires low-carbon equipment and measures to be in place. This can put pressure on companies that struggle with effective sustainability reporting.
“With the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) from EU, all companies with 250-plus employees in Ireland will be required to report on climate and environmental data from 1 January next year,” he said.
“The double materiality reporting will require companies to disclose not only the risks they face from a changing climate and other ESG matters (financial materiality), but also the impacts they themselves may have on climate and society (impact materiality).”
This is where technology comes into play. Global Fabric is BT’s new AI-ready, cloud-centric network-as-a-service platform. It has been built around the world’s major cloud locations, optimising its hardware footprint. According to BT, this means it uses 16pc less devices than the company’s existing international networks.
Additionally, BT also has a carbon network dashboard, which offers real-time monitoring of electricity use across networks and data centres, as well as workloads and applications, matched to live energy grid feeds. “This allows companies to optimise their IT for emissions, performance and cost,” said Khan.
The future of digital sustainability
One of the biggest changes Khan sees when it comes to digital transformation is that connectivity will no longer be overlooked or thought about in isolation.
“Increasingly, networks will get a seat at the table alongside cloud and software development teams when designing and deploying applications,” he said.
“The continued growth of AI will see organisations doubling down on balancing AI with sustainability. According to the World Economic Forum, the computational power needed for sustaining AI’s growth is doubling roughly every 100 days, with data centres driving significant electricity demand growth over the next few years.”
From a standards and regulatory perspective, he said the CSRD will see large organisations based in the EU grappling with complex disclosure requirements, while procurement teams are increasingly challenging their suppliers to measure and reduce their emissions.
“Sustainability is becoming business as usual, leading to organisational restructures,” said Khan. “CIOs and CTOs will play a crucial role in decarbonising their organisations by first ‘greening’ their own functions and assisting other teams, such as facilities management, to connect assets and systems in order to gather data and identify optimisation opportunities.”
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