IBM Launches AI-Powered Cloud Carbon Calculator

IBM has unveiled its latest tool, the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator, aimed at helping enterprises track and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across cloud services.

This artificial intelligence-informed dashboard empowers clients to access emissions data from various IBM Cloud workloads, including AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and financial services. With an increasing number of CEOs prioritizing environmental sustainability, this tool comes as businesses are seeking to balance high-performance workloads with their commitment to sustainability.

Enterprises across industries are leveraging their usage of hybrid cloud and AI to digitally transform their operations while maintaining resiliency, performance, security, and compliance. Among the top challenges identified by CEOs, environmental sustainability has emerged as a critical focus over the next three years.

Simultaneously, the adoption of generative AI adds to the data management needs for successful implementation, potentially impacting GHG emissions. As organizations continue to utilize generative AI for strategic decision-making, the responsibility to balance performance with sustainability becomes paramount.

The IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator has been specifically designed to address the challenges presented by the growing data processing requirements for AI workloads and assist clients in reducing their GHG emissions.

Powered by machine learning and advanced algorithms, this tool quickly identifies patterns, anomalies, and outliers in data that may be associated with higher emissions. Developed in collaboration with Intel and incorporating technology from IBM Research, the calculator assists organizations in uncovering emissions hot spots in their IT workloads. By providing valuable insights, enterprises can make informed decisions and develop effective emissions mitigation strategies.

The IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator offers granular emission tracking, allowing clients to access GHG emissions data for their IBM Cloud workloads easily. Users can visualize and track emissions associated with specific cloud services and locations, following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidelines.

The tool also enables enterprises to analyze emissions trends over time, identifying anomalies and hotspots, leading to real-time adjustments to optimize workloads and reduce emissions. Furthermore, the calculator provides output and audit trails for reporting purposes and allows integration with the IBM Envizi ESG Suite for in-depth analysis and comprehensive reporting.

One of the companies benefiting from the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator is e.tres, an Argentinian e-commerce platform. Committed to sustainability, e.tres utilizes the AI-enabled dashboard to measure and offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with its digital operations. By leveraging the insights gained, the company enhances the sustainability of its clients’ operations, technology, and logistics shipments.

IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator Helps Organizations Advance Sustainability Objectives and Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions

--AI-informed dashboard is designed to give clients access to standards-based greenhouse gas emissions data and help manage cloud carbon footprint

--e.tres, provider of e-commerce platform, leverages IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator to enhance sustainability performance of operations and transform the digital shopping experience

ARMONK, N.Y., July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE:IBM) launched a new tool to help enterprises track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across cloud services and advance their sustainability performance throughout their hybrid, multicloud journeys. Now generally available, the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator – an AI-informed dashboard – can help clients access emissions data across a variety of IBM Cloud workloads such as AI, high performance computing (HPC) and financial services.

Across industries, enterprises are embracing modernization by leveraging hybrid cloud and AI to digitally transform with resiliency, performance, security, and compliance at the forefront, all while remaining focused on delivering value and driving more sustainable business practices. According to a exact study by IBM, 42% of CEOs surveyed pinpoint environmental sustainability as their top challenge over the next three years1. At the same time, the study reports that CEOs are facing pressure to adopt generative AI while also weighing the data management needs to make AI successful. The increase in data processing required for AI workloads can present new challenges for organizations that are looking to reduce their GHG emissions. With more than 43% of CEOs surveyed already using generative AI to inform strategic decisions, organizations should prepare to balance executing high performance workloads with sustainability.

To help clients respond to these challenges, the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator is designed to quickly spot patterns, anomalies and outliers in data that are potentially associated with higher GHG emissions. Based on technology from IBM Research and through a collaboration with Intel, the tool uses machine learning and advanced algorithms to help organizations uncover emissions hot spots in their IT workload and provide them with insights to inform their emissions mitigation strategy2. 

"As part of any AI transformation roadmap, businesses must consider how to manage the growth of data across cloud and on-premise environments. This is especially critical today as they see organizations face increasing pressure from investors, regulators, and clients to reduce their carbon emissions," said Alan Peacock, General Manager, IBM Cloud. "For IBM, reducing environmental impact to help create a more sustainable future is a top priority and they are committed to helping clients achieve both sustainability and business goals. With the AI-enabled IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator, we're helping clients better understand the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their IT workloads and giving them the insights to adjust their strategies and further their sustainability objectives."

Clients are already using the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator to address their sustainability goals. This includes e.tres, an Argentinian ecommerce platform, who is using the dashboard to measure greenhouse gas emissions.

"The way people shop is changing, and we're committed to helping their customers deliver frictionless online shopping experiences backed by high levels of sustainability. As they help their customers power their digital businesses with their innovative e-commerce platform, sustainability is at the center of everything they do, with their e3Eco solution. With the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator, enabled by AI, they can boost the sustainability of their clients' operations, their technology and logistics shipments, so any ecommerce portal can become sustainable by measuring and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions." said Diego Gorischnik, CEO of e.tres.

The IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator is designed to give clients access to standards-based GHG emissions data for IBM Cloud workloads with just a few clicks. Its capabilities include:

The availability of the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator is a new milestone in their commitment to helping clients turn sustainability ambition into action and create a more energy efficient future. It complements IBM's existing portfolio of sustainability solutions and consulting expertise, including the IBM Envizi ESG Suite, IBM Turbonomic, IBM Planning Analytics  and IBM LinuxONE, that help organizations set, operationalize, and achieve their environmental sustainability goals.

Building on IBM and Intel's deep commitment to helping enterprises solve their unique business challenges and prioritize their compute performance capabilities, IBM Cloud was among the first cloud providers to deliver Intel's most sustainable data center processors, 4th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, earlier this year. With energy efficiency innovations and designed to deliver superior performance, 4th Gen Intel Xeon processors can help IBM Cloud clients reduce GHG emissions associated with computing — with the performance being tracked via the IBM Cloud Carbon Calculator dashboard.

As companies embrace hybrid cloud, IBM Cloud and IBM Research plan to continue their close collaboration and work with its partners, such as Intel, to execute programs and activities aimed at helping clients reduce compute-related GHG emissions and increase energy efficiency.

Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only.

About IBMIBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. They help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to their clients. All of this is backed by IBM's legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.  

ContactIBM CommunicationsKate GazzilloKate.gazzillo@ibm.com

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SOURCE IBM