The Record - Issue 18: Autumn 2020

53 These are just a few of the very inspiring sto- ries of innovation that our customers are driving with Microsoft technologies. Sustainability has become a key driver in manufacturing and its importance will grow as populations increase and resources dwindle. Where is Microsoft focusing its attention? Earlier this year, we announced an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately remove Microsoft’s carbon footprint. We believe that Microsoft’s most important contribution to sustainability and carbon reduction will come not from our work alone, but by helping our customers around the world through our learn- ings and with the power of data science, AI, and digital technology. For many of our customers, sustainability is already a core part of their busi- ness, while others are just beginning their work to mitigate their carbon impact. Regardless of where organisations are on their journey, we are committed to supporting them. For example, we are helping customers better understand the carbon impact of their cloud workloads with tools like the Microsoft Sustainability Calculator that analyses estimated emissions from Azure services through a Power BI dashboard. We also launched a 24/7 matching solution with Vattenfall – a first-of-its-kind approach that gives customers the ability to choose the green energy they want and ensure their consumption matches that goal using Azure IoT. We are also committed to pursuing new part- nerships to address carbon reduction. This will include co-innovating with customers and partners to develop low-carbon solutions, as we have done with L&T Technology Services, ABB, and Johnson Controls on sustainable smart building solutions capable of reducing energy consumption by 40 per cent. We are also driving cross-industry collaborations and coalitions to develop new standards and tools. An essential function of the adoption of new technology is to improve operational efficiency by empowering the workforce. How is Microsoft helping manufacturers attract, retain and empower their staff with these new technology skills? When we look at workforce empowerment, we must first face the growing skills gap and talent shortage in the industry today. Reskilling employ- ees is more important than ever because now we have added concerns about employee safety and remote work, not to mention business continuity. Manufacturers must find ways to attract the next generation of employees while retaining the experience of their seasoned colleagues. At the same time, people need to be equipped with the digital skills essential for today’s new world of work. To do this, we turn to advanced capa- bilities like automation, AI, cognitive services and mixed reality. These technologies will serve to enhance a new hybrid workforce of human