Microsoft's Green Ambitions: Sustainability Goals and the Future of Cloud Technology

Formpipe’s head of Cloud Services, Dene Palmer, recently sat down with Digital Cloud Solution Architect, Roger Karlsson, from Microsoft, to discuss the importance of sustainability in cloud technology. 

Thanks for talking with us today Roger. Lets jump straight into it, can you tell us why sustainability is such a hot topic right now when it comes to the Cloud?

“Sustainability is essential in cloud technology, and Microsoft is a world leader in this space. Our President, Brad Smith, recently attended COP25 in Egypt to highlight our work in this area. Our mission is to empower companies to do more with less, and with an 85% market share, we have the potential to make a significant impact. Our Azure tools enable businesses to track their carbon emissions and integrate sustainability efforts with resource usage.”

Can you tell us about Microsoft’s sustainability goals?

“Our sustainability goals are ambitious, as we aim to be carbon negative by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2025. Our data centres, which we are building globally, are designed with efficiency in mind, with cooling systems that minimize energy consumption. Electricity from renewable sources.

Our own servers are designed to be as efficient as possible, both in energy consumption and overall impact. The Swedish data centre, which uses wind from outside for cooling, as well as conserving the heat that is generated for re-use, serves as a model for our approach.

We have a close collaboration with electricity companies, especially here in Sweden, where I am based, to produce electricity using only renewable sources such as water, wind, or solar cells. This is the template for all our data centres and offices worldwide to adopt circular environmental thinking. For example, we look at everything we do in Stockholm, even down to making sure our office supplies are re-useable. Our goal is to minimize impact on the environment and we encourage our customers to do the same by using Azure and tracking their consumption and CO2 emissions. We have also recently hired a sustainability officer to drive our efforts in the coming years.”

Is Microsoft involved in optimizing hardware with other companies, and are you benefiting from the alignment of their sustainability goals with your own?

“We collaborate with all manufacturers to enhance sustainability and recycling initiatives. Our Surface devices and peripherals contain at least 80% recycled plastics, with a target of 100% by 2030. We also partner with various companies, including competitors like Salesforce, and brands like Nike, to track emissions and advance sustainable practices. Azure resources play a vital role in these collaborations, providing customers access to our AI and sustainability reports, which boosts their confidence in us and supports their own sustainability efforts.”

What do you anticipate for the future in the next 1-2 years? What advancements are you most excited about?"

“Our main objective by 2025 is to achieve carbon neutrality. This is a significant goal, especially with the recent weather changes in the UK, which have gone from freezing to blazing hot in a short amount of time. We believe that by using Azure instead of managing their own hardware, our customers can significantly reduce their environmental impact and conserve resources, as well as save on costs related to purchasing, electricity, and other expenses. Whilst some companies still operate their own data centres or server rooms, Azure offers an alternative solution that eliminates the need for dedicated resources by allowing for shared resources and reducing the overall impact on the environment.

For me, my main goal is to help companies become more environmentally friendly and efficient through the use of AI driven tools. I have customers who are already making positive changes in this area, with a new requirement in EU from 2024 where all companies will need provide sustainability reports on top of financial reports. Saving the environment will have a bigger focus and if we work together using the tools and resources available to us, all of us can make an impact.

I hope to influence others to adopt these practices and make a positive impact on the environment.

As an individual, I also take energy efficiency seriously and have made changes in my own life to reflect that. I have switched to LED lightbulbs and made sure that the appliances I buy, such as a new kitchen and refrigerator, are energy-saving, even if they cost more upfront. I believe that being environmentally friendly and striving for sustainability is becoming increasingly important due to the rising cost of energy. It's great to see companies like Microsoft taking a leadership role in promoting sustainable practices for businesses around the world.”

Formpipe Cloud utilizes Microsoft Azure to embrace the sustainability advantages of their innovative technology. Partnering with Microsoft allows us to align our operations with eco-friendly practices and extend these benefits to our customers. As Microsoft consistently focuses on sustainability, both Formpipe Cloud and our clients will contribute to a greener future while staying at the forefront of environmentally responsible business practices.

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