Guest contributor |
Global temperatures are rising and adverse climate events are becoming more frequent, making it imperative for all industry sectors to protect resources and reduce emissions. But industrial players have an outsize role to play in the race to net zero. Industry, together with electricity generation, accounts for 65 per cent of global emissions, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The call to respond to climate change will require rapid industrial transformation. While this is a significant challenge, it is not insurmountable. The good news is the technologies we already know about, such as artificial intelligence and advanced analytics underpinned by the cloud, can empower enterprises to decarbonise, improve circularity and boost efficiencies.
But that’s not all. Emissions reductions will rely on the cooperation of industrial operators, partners, developers and customers. At AVEVA we term this concept ‘Ecosystem of the Future’. Within this system, business efficiency is powered by networked data – all stakeholders are connected by secure technologies to leverage maximum insight into operations.
Almost half (47 per cent) of industrial leaders see enhancing collaboration with partners and customers, as well as across the workforce, as a key goal of their transformational technology investments, according to our AVEVA Industrial Intelligence 2024 report. In addition, 49 per cent cited investment in a platform that enables data sharing and collaboration among the greatest investments to drive opportunity for their organisation.
Technology partners and developers will be front and centre in the drive towards a connected ecosystem of the future that optimises resources, streamlines efficiency and preserves our planet. Partnerships are an effective way to drive innovation quickly and effectively. When multiple entities combine their unique strengths by securely sharing data in the cloud, it is easier to tackle looming business challenges, including our collective sustainability and resource management goals.
The ability to openly and securely share standard-format granular data with third parties supports the development of sustainability ideas and heightened business resilience. This kind of visibility and adaptability is invaluable at a time of increasing cross-sector innovation, when developments in one field, such as big data, can support progress in another area.
For example, as global regulation and compliance demands increase, there is an opening for developers to assist industrial operators in reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets. By viewing unified value chain data in context, developers can help make accessible the interdependent areas where sustainability action can have the greatest impact, such as reduced emissions and better regulatory compliance.
AVEVA works with clients all over the world to help drive sustainability gains within a connected ecosystem. By leveraging software-as-a-service capabilities through our industrial intelligence platform, CONNECT, customers can connect to a hybrid cloud experience purpose-built for industries. They can access industrial information in context, make decisions based on real-time intelligence, and visualise data in one place. They can share relevant information across teams, tap into a network of consumers, producers partners and vendors, and build or extend their ecosystem to bolster their investments. With CONNECT, companies can easily explore AI and predictive analytics, monitor remote assets and increase sustainability.
Read more from AVEVA on the importance of data for energy firms, optimising energy, smart factories and more
Together, AVEVA and Microsoft are helping thousands of customers move towards their sustainability goals using our joint engineering and operations expertise. By enabling enterprises to digitally transform their businesses, our solutions reveal quantifiable metrics that allow companies to understand the impacts of their actions and progress towards their sustainability goals.
For example, using CONNECT powered by Microsoft Azure, US energy company Dominion Energy was able to gather and share data about its energy sources and power flows in a unified, real-time, cloud interface with customers, helping them to comply with their net-zero commitments. Using trackable sustainability data, Dominion’s customers were able to provide proof of their low-carbon energy supplies to investors and ESG auditors, revealing a new energy source for Dominion.
Looking ahead, AVEVA, as a leader in industrial intelligence, is working on an industrial AI assistant based upon Microsoft Azure Open AI. It also plans to leverage data analytics solution Microsoft Fabric and generative AI assistant Microsoft Copilot to further strengthen both companies’ data integration platforms to better prepare customers to incorporate AI in key global industries across the world. This will make operational data more intuitive, predictable and manageable.
Within the connected ecosystem, operators, partners, developers and their customers are empowered to drive change through multiple industries, while significantly cutting energy consumption and emissions.
With the advent of industry-primed technologies, operations can be empowered to drive sustainability gains for all stakeholders on a continuous basis. The sum becomes more than its parts. It’s no overstatement to say that the efficiency gains delivered by the connected ecosystem will be the foundation of sustainable industries.
Learn more about CONNECT
Fabio Terezinho is vice president of integration and technology partners at AVEVA
Discover more insights like this in the Autumn 2024 issue of Technology Record. Don’t miss out – subscribe for free today and get future issues delivered straight to your inbox!