Elly Yates-Roberts |
Shell and Microsoft have formed a strategic alliance to realise their individual net-zero emission goals. As part of the partnership, Shell will supply Microsoft with renewable energy to help meet its commitment to having a 100 per cent supply of renewable energy by 2025, and the companies will collaborate on artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to help reduce Shell’s carbon emissions.
The partnership builds on years of technology collaboration and aims to continue that to create and deliver new solutions to help customers, suppliers and other businesses to lower emissions.
“We are building on our work with Shell by establishing a deeper alliance to further accelerate innovation in support of decarbonisation and energy industry transition,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Microsoft’s Worldwide Commercial Business. “Cross-industry collaborations like this are fundamental to help society reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and digital transformation is key to tackling this important issue, within the energy sector and beyond.”
Microsoft says that the alliance’s AI-related operations aim to drive “transformation across Shell’s operations through access to real-time data insights, contributing to worker and on-site safety, and delivering efficiencies”. In addition, the two companies will work on advancing the use of sustainable aviation fuels, and will use Azure and data from Shell assets to “strengthen operational safety, by improving risk analysis, prediction and prevention”.
“Microsoft and Shell both have rich histories of innovation and bold ambitions to decarbonise,” said Huibert Vigeveno, downstream director of Shell. “We are proud of the work we have already done together. Our strategic alliance will enable us to push the boundaries of what can be achieved. We believe we can unlock tremendous progress for Shell, Microsoft, our customers and beyond.”