Tech

Digital technology: The backbone of a net-zero future

Data on the impact of digital technologies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are emerging and their importance is clear. The World Economic Forum (WEF) and Accenture say digital technologies can help the energy, materials and mobility industries reduce emissions by 4% to 10% by 2030.1 PwC calculates that only AI alone could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 4% by 2030.2 while Capgemini reports that AI’s climate potential puts the figure at 16% across many sectors.3

However, despite the proven impacts of these technologies, there is not enough urgency around organizations around their adoption to accelerate their decarbonization and emission reduction goals. Across the industry, many leaders leverage partners to support digital transformation, while energy transition remains a secondary goal. Digital and sustainability leaders are taking a surprisingly conservative approach to technology that fails to address current issues. As justification, they cite the immaturity of existing solutions, the need for further research or customization, and challenges ranging from intermittent renewable energy supplies to a lack of confidence in purchasing plans. sell existing carbon.

MIT Technology Review Insights conducted a global survey to examine industry leaders’ use, planning, and willingness to adopt digital technologies to achieve their decarbonization goals. The survey asked 350 C-level leaders at major global companies in eight key areas, to gather their perceptions of these solutions. Insights were also gathered from in-depth discussions with nine experts on the subject.

The following are the main research findings:

Digitization is the backbone that will support the energy transition. Despite the differences between industries (and across regions), digital technology is considered important (ranked 1 to 10, where 10 is most important) to optimize efficiency, reduce energy and waste (overall score of 6.8); design and optimization of carbon sequestration technologies (6.7); make persistent data accessible, verifiable and transparent (6.2); monitoring GHG absorption (6.6); and the design and optimization of low-carbon energy systems (5.8).

For most industries, the key decarbonization lever is the circular economy. The majority (54%) of participants from all industries (except petrochemical production) consider the circular economy4 as their primary environmental sustainability goal. A circular economy reduces waste by reducing consumption, increasing efficiency and reusing resources and energy. The second highest rated sustainability goal was to improve access to clean energy (41%) and the third was to improve energy efficiency (40%).

Partnering with technology experts is how the industry innovates with digital solutions. The most cited approach to adopting new digital technology is through supplier partnerships (31%). However, regulators are less likely to stress the importance of open standards and data sharing in the supply chain to accelerate the deployment of digital technologies (especially in energy, metallurgy, etc.). mining and mining, construction and petrochemical production), only 16% identified it as a top supporter. However, experts say adopting open standards and sharing data—essential for AI and ML’s ability to conquer complexity—to streamline supply chains is “inevitable.” ” to meet decarbonization targets.

Attitudes towards technology adoption and innovation vary by sector and region. While cybersecurity is considered the biggest external obstacle to digital transformation in general (58%), rebuilding companies are much more apprehensive (76%), while construction companies are much more apprehensive. Mining and metals companies are less concerned (47%). Overall, 11% of respondents want to experiment with digital technology soon, but some sectors are less interested: just 4% in metals and mining, 5% in petrochemical production and 6% in Industrial production. Agree and willingness to learn is essential for cross-departmental and organizational collaboration.



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