Microsoft’s doubling down on its commitment to cut operational carbon emissions by 75% in the next 11 years. In a blog post, company president Brad Smith outlined the steps it’ll take to “address sustainability challenges” in a “tech-first” fashion, some of which will involve artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“The magnitude and speed of the world’s environmental changes have made it increasingly clear that we must do more,” Smith wrote. “And we are taking new steps to do just that,” he adds, according to venturebeat.com.
On the data center side of things, Microsoft says that, since announcing its goal in 2016 to use 50% renewable energy in all of its facilities by the end of last year, it’s ahead of schedule and on track to reach 60% by the end of this year.
It’ll seek to surpass 70% by 2023, in part with a new “data-driven” cloud initiative that’ll employ internet of things (IoT) devices, blockchain technology, and AI to monitor performance and “streamline” the reuse, resale, and recycling of data center hardware.