Sustainable providers seen to support companies’ push for use of greener technologies

TAPPING eco-friendly providers can help companies push their digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives while staying on track towards achieving their sustainability goals, the Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group said.

“Forging partnerships with technology providers that prioritize sustainability would be a good first step toward the adoption of greener technologies,” Allen Guo, general manager for the Philippines at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said in an e-mail.

“Companies can also leverage open-source AI initiatives to reduce energy consumption associated with AI training and deployment making these technologies more accessible and sustainable.”

A survey titled Tech-Driven Sustainability Trends and Index 2024 conducted by Yonder Consulting and commissioned by Alibaba Cloud showed that the Philippines showed the greatest interest in adopting AI, cloud computing and other advanced digital technologies to support sustainable development at 91%.

This was higher than emerging Asia’s average of 83%, as well as Singapore’s 84%, Indonesia’s 81%, and Thailand’s 81%.

When selecting a cloud provider, Philippine businesses prioritize those that use renewable energy (57%), maintain energy-efficient data centers (50%), and maintain commitments on innovation or sustainable products and services (41%), according to the survey.

However, the survey also noted that 77% executives in the Philippines said their organizations lag in adopting cloud computing and AI to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals.

Some 77% of Philippine respondents also said that they fear that high energy consumption associated with digital technologies may hinder widespread AI adoption.

“This highlights a gap between awareness and implementation, suggesting that while interest is high, adoption needs to catch up to fully leverage technology for sustainability goals,” Mr. Guo said.

He said there is a need for increased education about practical and energy-efficient technology applications to encourage sustainable AI adoption.

Philippine businesses are expected to further adopt sustainable technologies amid the new sustainability reporting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Philippine Stock Exchange, Mr. Guo said.

“These evolving requirements, aligned with international best practices, are driving businesses to invest in technologies that support sustainable development and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) reporting.”

Alibaba Cloud is looking to help Philippine businesses achieve their sustainability goals offering open-source AI models and improving the energy efficiency of its data centers, it said.

It recently released open-source models like Qwen series and Wan series, while its AI-driven sustainability solution Energy Expert helps enterprises measure and analyze carbon emission and energy consumptions.

The company has pledged to use 100% clean energy by 2030. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz